


Alpha To The Princess

by CheapQueenPrincess



Category: K-pop, Mamamoo
Genre: Alpha Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Arranged Marriage, Domestic Violence, F/F, Implied/Referenced Cheating, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Underage Sex, Knotting, Master/Servant, Master/Slave, Mating Bites, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Non-Traditional Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Omega Kim Yongsun | Solar, Omega Verse, Service Submission, Sexual Slavery, Slavery, Submission
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:27:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 120,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26962900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheapQueenPrincess/pseuds/CheapQueenPrincess
Summary: When Moonbyul was submitted this year for the Alpha Choosing, she wasn't expecting to actually end up with an Omega, let alone one of any importance. But when she catches the eye of the princess, she finds herself wrapped up in the trappings of high society, where she must navigate a web of submission, secrets, betrayal and a loss of identity as she fights to retain the image that everyone, most of all herself, expects of her.
Relationships: Ahn Hyejin | Hwasa/Jung Wheein, Kim Yongsun | Solar/Moon Byulyi | Moonbyul
Comments: 158
Kudos: 794





	1. The Annual Alpha Choosing

"Yongsun!"

Hyejin's voice calling after her, was both startling and a welcome break for Yongsun, who turned and smiled at her as the noblewoman ran up to meet her. For up until now, Yongsun had spent the morning alone, taking a walk around the palace gardens in an attempt to sort through her thoughts.

"Where are you off to?" Hyejin asked her, grinning.

"I've just come back actually. Why, what do you want?"

"Nothing from you. I just wanted to ask if you were going to the Alpha-choosing this year?"

Yongsun rolled her eyes slightly but nodded.

"Appa says I have to go this year, now that I'm nineteen."

"I don't know why you've been such a prude all these years anyway, everyone gets an Alpha when they start their heats, especially royals."

"Oh yeah? Then why don't _you_ have an Alpha yet?"

"Not for lack of trying Yongsunnie. I just haven't found one good enough yet."

Yongsun snorted and tossed her hair.

"It's an _Alpha_ Hyejin, you're never going to find one good enough for you."

"As true as that may be, I'm sure that there's an Alpha out there who can fit my exacting standards. I've just got to find them. And who knows, perhaps this year we'll both find our sire."

Yongsun rolled her eyes again, but inside, her stomach clenched nervously. To tell the truth, she had been putting off submitting herself for Alpha-choosing, not out of a lack of encouragement. For her father had been trying to push her into it ever since she had gotten her first heat at fourteen. But rather because the very idea of getting married, of using an Alpha to sire pups with her, seemed so far extended from where she was now it was almost incomprehensible. But unfortunately, as first born Omega to the King, she was responsible for producing the next heir after her, and the traditional way was usually to start as soon as possible.

She had peeked in on various Alpha-choosings from previous years, most pertinently the dances that they held each year, and had found each one to be unappealing, and had taken great comfort in the fact that she herself was not participating. But now that she was nineteen and no longer a child, she found that she had no excuses left. She was attending this year's choosing and that was that.

At least Hyejin was participating again this year, having (in her words) not found a suitable Alpha in either of the two meetings she had attended previous to now.

"Don't stress about it Yongsunnie. If none of them take your fancy, you don't have to choose any of them. Just make it look like you were at least interested and your father will let you off for another year. After all, I'm sure he wouldn't want his daughter marrying just any Alpha. And besides, you get to wear lots of amazing dresses."

Yongsun nodded as Hyejin chattered away to her, in the midst of describing the dress she was intending to wear to the dance that night. And although Yongsun was never one to turn down the opportunity to dress up, she was still overwhelmingly nervous. For the first time in her life, she was going to come into close contact with Alphas. What would they be like? How would they behave towards her? Would she like what they looked like? Would she like their scent?

"Ah com'n Yongsun! We're gonna be late for the presentations!"

Startled out of her thoughts by Hyejin's firm grip on her wrist, Yongsun just let the taller girl drag her down the corridor towards the stairs, to wait in the entrance hall for the first new Alphas to enter the palace for a whole year.

***

Yongsun couldn't help but stare, her eyes wide and round with surprise.

For she was taken aback by how abruptly upfront the first phase of the Alpha choosing process seemed to be. Of course, she had known that the most important feature for an Alpha to possess was good physicality, and the insinuation from this of strong virility. But she hadn't really expected everything to be this... blunt.

The Alphas were brought out in a line, some thirty or forty of them, and presented to the watching Omegas in a square pattern, but separated out so that neither one fully obscured any one Alpha behind them. And despite it being early March, and still very cold outside, the male Alphas wore nothing more than a loincloth-like garment, complete with a leather belt binding it to the waist. The females wore the same, only they had the addition of a tightly bound strip of cloth, as perhaps the most basic form of a brassiere Yongsun had ever seen. The way they stood, stock-still and stony faced, their muscles tensed and prominent, was strangely unnerving, almost as if they were made of stone. For only the slight rise and fall of their chests betrayed this not to be true.

Nudging her in the back with her elbow, Hyejin grinned at her.

"Com'n, let's take a look."

Yongsun hesitated, watching on helplessly as Hyejin joined the small group of Omegas who had entered this year's choosing, as they joined a steady line pacing up and down the lines of Alphas, inspecting them with the company of several Beta handlers. Feeling considerably out of her depth, Yongsun stayed put, not daring to join them until a free Beta handler approached her with a smile.

"Ah, your highness. This is your first choosing?"

Yongsun nodded.

"Then please, allow me to personally escort you."

Feeling obliged to do so, especially as she had just noticed her father, watching the proceedings from his seat at the head of the hall, Yongsun nodded and followed the handler down to the first row of Alphas.

She showed little interest in any of them however, for quite apart from the fact that none of them really stuck out to her, she found herself afraid and unnerved by them. It was just that they never moved, no matter how close they got, no matter how much they were touched and pawed at, no matter what was said to them. But as they made their way along the final line, one of the Alphas did, for whatever reason, catch her eye. They were a female Alpha, not particularly tall, but very muscular at least. They had long hair, that hung down every bit as far as Yongsun's own did, and it was a luxurious golden brown colour, that appealed somewhat to Yongsun. Noticing her intrigue, the Beta handler stopped next to the Alpha and gave them a hard stare, as if waiting for them to do something.

"Alpha," the handler snapped suddenly, startling Yongsun. "Do you not see her interest in you? Present for your Omega."

The Alpha didn't move, their gaze focused straight ahead like a spotlight, and Yongsun couldn't help but let out a small noise of surprise as the handler, without warning, grabbed the Alpha's crotch firmly in their hand and squeezed hard. Yongsun watched the Alpha's face, horrified yet unable to look away, but the Alpha didn't so much as flinch, and allowed the groping as if it were nothing more than a gentle hand on the shoulder. Although, looking closer, Yongsun noticed that they were tensing their jaw, the muscle taught and straining.

The handler continued groping the Alpha until a noticeable hardness had formed between their legs, at which point they let go and fixed them with another hard stare. The Alpha however, refused to look the handler in the eye, instead continuing to stare straight ahead, and so the handler smacked them hard in the face, emitting an audible crack and sending them stumbling slightly with the movement.

"Next time you're asked to present for an Omega, you _do_ it," they spat out.

The Alpha again, didn't react, and the handler mercifully moved on. Yongsun however remained frozen, unable to look away from the Alpha, and for a second they made eye contact. And the sheer amount of pain and humiliation in the Alpha's eyes was enough to make Yongsun take a step back in shock. But then the Alpha had looked away once more, and Yongsun continued along the line of potential mates, trying to shake off the haunted feeling that had crept up her spine, an attempt to tell her that something about all this wasn't right.

But she soon shook off this feeling, dismissing it as ridiculous. These were Alphas for God's sake, they were supposed to be presented like this, everything out in the open for Omegas to see. They had precious other uses to them after all.

But despite this, Yongsun could help but feel relieved at passing the final Alpha in the line up and being allowed the excuse to scuttle off into the next room, and away from scent of Alpha, that had slowly been beginning to overwhelm her. But most strangely of all, was the way her heart had sped up exponentially and was still now racing, the thought of that Alpha danced round and round in her mind until it seemed, she could think of nothing else.

***

"So... what did you think?"

Yongsun shrugged slightly, raising her arms so that Jiae, her maidservant, could pull her dress around her and begin lacing up the back.

"Com'n Yong, you've never come into contact with an Alpha before in your life. Surely you must've had some reaction to them?"

"It was fine Hyejin, I guess I just... don't really care about all that presenting stuff. It was too much for show, y'know?"

"Ah but that's what it's all about Yongsunnie, putting on a show for us!"

Yongsun rolled her eyes and upon Jiae's request, tried not to move as she began working on her make-up.

"Well perhaps the dance will be more to your taste," Hyejin commented. "You've always liked those fancy events your dad puts on."

And although Yongsun didn't answer, she too also hoped against hope that the dance would be more like the romantic courting she had envisioned, whenever she had allowed her mind to drift as far as finding herself an Alpha.

***

Moonbyul shifted a little uncomfortably in her smart clothes, not being used to such generous attire. For whenever they weren't being put through various gruelling drills to strength both their bodies and their self-control, the Alphas usually wore a tunic and belt not unlike those worn in the dark ages. So to have been all dolled up ready for a formal dance with every Omega noble of age looking for a mate, was an experience distinctly alien to Moonbyul.

From the bottom upwards, she wore a pair of smart black boots that had clearly not been broken in by anyone previously, as they were stiff and mightily uncomfortable. Next were the formal black trousers, fastened at the side by a polished silver button. Next the embroidered black silk shirt, tucked into the trousers and finally, a blue military-style silk blazer, adorned with gold epaulettes and stitching along the shoulders and sleeves. And military appeared to be the theme for Alpha formal wear, for as far as Moonbyul knew, being part of the military was the highest position any Alpha could reach, aside from marriage to any number of the rich, influential Omegas that occupied high society. Which, she supposed, is why her parents had been so anxious to have her accepted onto the Alpha marriage program.

"Alphas! Straighten up! Get in line!"

Hurrying to take her position in the line in front of the handler, a large Beta man who Moonbyul knew was all the Alpha's least favourite handler, she snapped to attention, her gaze steely and locked straight ahead, a pose they had been bullied into being able to keep up for hours on end if needs be.

"Now then! As you all know, tonight is the night of the annual matching dance, an essential part of the choosing ceremony. It is during this dance that the Omegas will find out how you behave under the pressure of high society, to which I demand nothing less than perfection and ultimate submission. For you must always remember, you are not part of high society and never will be. You are merely marrying into it."

The handler began pacing up and down the lines of Alphas, eyeing each one closely, looking for any twitches or fumbles in concentration.

"You are to stand and wait for the entire duration of the dance, unless an Omega's maid or man servant approaches you. At which point you will be directed towards the Omega that has requested your presence. From that point on the Omega dictates every moment of your interaction. You are not to speak unless commanded and your hands are not to move from the Omega's hand and shoulder. Is that clear?"

The handler was greeted with a sharp, simultaneous nod from every Alpha before him, and his silence dictated approval.

"Very well. You may enter the dance hall."

Almost perfectly in sync, the Alphas turned and walked single file into the dance hall, each one staring intently at the back of the head of the Alpha in front. The hall itself was of a grandeur Moonbyul had never seen before, decorated beautifully with silk hangings and boughs of fresh white flowers. And yet despite such opulence extending throughout the entire hall, there was still a clear line of segregation. For the side which they entered on was bare of any chairs or tables of refreshment, whereas the other side had neat little circles of chairs round white silk-adorned tables, as well as having the bonus of being situated much nearer to the live orchestra, who right now were disengaged, reading through their music and tuning their instruments quietly.

The Alphas stood silently, legs slightly apart, their hands clasped neatly behind their backs, as they had been told to do, waiting for the Omegas to enter. And it was a long wait for someone standing in boots that were considerably uncomfortable, and clothes that felt both sheer and stifling at the same time.

But eventually a small trumpet fanfare rang out, and the first of the Omegas entered the hall. They walked in pairs followed by their respective servants, either a male and female together or else two females, for as was the usual, there were far more female Omegas than males. The females were dressed in all manner of beautiful ball gowns, the younger ones mostly in lighter pastel colours and the older ones in darker hues. But the males were no less extravagant, dressed either in highly over-decorated jackets and ruffled shirts or else in sharp, crisp tuxedos, both far smarter than the muted, military look their respective Alphas had been dressed in.

There were perhaps, a third of the number of Omegas to that of prospective Alphas, which was quite usual, as it was done so to give the Omegas the broadest range possible to choose from. But it did mean that there would be a considerable number of Alphas left unchosen during this dance, and would therefore have to remain standing the entire time.

The music started as soon as the last Omega took their seat across the hall from them, and that was when the observation began.

And even though she had been trained for years to ignore the probing stare of an Omega, and direct her gaze straight forward and nowhere else, Moonbyul couldn't help but feel her mouth go dry and her palms begin to sweat, as she was examined by some of the most noble eligible Omegas from here to the next kingdom.

The first Omega to make a move was a dark-haired beauty with strong features and enticingly red lips, dressed in a flowing gold dress adorned with jewels, who lent over to whisper in her maidservant's ear. And Moonbyul watched out of the corner of her eye, as the young girl nodded and hurried across the ballroom floor towards an Alpha in a full black-jacket ensemble, and with bright white-blonde hair, cut short and parted slightly to the side.

And although they weren't supposed to, the Alphas couldn't help but watch the first dancing couple every bit as closely as the Omegas were, taking note of exactly how they needed to conduct themselves should they too get chosen.

And as the minutes dragged by, and several more Omegas ventured their servants across the dance floor to bring them an Alpha to dance with, Moonbyul began to lose interest in the proceedings, allowing her gaze to wander along the walls and ceiling. Which was why she was so surprised when she was finally interrupted. Moonbyul stiffened, snapping her gaze back to the front, when a small girl with silvery-blonde hair, who couldn't have been any older than thirteen, approached her and stopped, bowing her head and curtsying slightly.

"Please ma'am, my mistress requests your presence."

Moonbyul bowed her head in answer and set about following the maidservant, who stopped short before the small group of mostly seated Omegas and nodded her head in the direction of her mistress. And Moonbyul made sure to steel her gaze, even when the urge to widen her eyes in recognition overcame her. For the Omega that had requested her had been the same one she had foolishly locked eyes with, albeit it for only a moment, during the presentations.

Following her instructions to the letter, Moonbyul knelt on one knee before the Omega, bowing her head and offering out her hand, which she took delicately, as the surrounding Omegas watched the two of them with visibly mixed impressions.

The Omega was dressed a lot more formally than she had been back in the presentation hall, as obviously was Moonbyul herself in her suit, in a flowing pink dress with overlays of sheer fabric, and white flowers embroidered into the bodice. And her bright blonde hair, which had been pinned up before, had been left to tumble freely in waves down her back.

As the nature of the dance meeting was that the music played continuously, and prospective couples joined in at any point they wished, the two of them stood in pose for a few seconds, waiting for the place in the dance where they could join in fluidly. And although preparing for the dance had been an essential part of Moonbyul's training for the yearly Alpha presentation, she was still incredibly nervous, wondering if she would be able to keep up with an Omega who had presumably been learning to dance since she was a toddler.

But luckily, it seemed as if the Omega wasn't looking to take the dance too seriously, as the steps she guided Moonbyul into were simple and regular, a standard waltz box step. Moonbyul made sure to keep her grip solidly in the hand and on the shoulder of the Omega, as instructed, and she retained eye contact, no matter how much it agonised her to do so.

The Omega herself was watching her with a distinct sense of curiosity, taking no effort at all in her steps, whereas Moonbyul was putting almost all her focus into not messing up the dance and yet still looking the Omega in the eye. And eventually it was the Omega that broke eye contact, her expression one of slight embarrassment, which confused Moonbyul though she didn't dare to show it on her face.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to put you in that position."

Moonbyul didn't react, save for a slight widening of her eyes, and the Omega seemed to pick up on the problem immediately.

"Oh, of course, um. You can talk to me."

Moonbyul nodded once, taking a step back as the Omega stepped forward in turn.

"Thank you my lady."

The Omega smiled.

"Think nothing of it."

Another long silence drew out between them, during which several more of the Omegas, perhaps tired of just sitting and watching, had finally chosen an Alpha with which to dance with, and so the dance floor had gotten rather more crowded than just a minute earlier.

"Tell me." the Omega said, breaking the silence. "What's it like where you come from?"

Moonbyul paused, glancing over her shoulder for a moment, before turning back to the Omega.

"We aren't supposed to talk about it."

The Omega nodded, although she was visibly put-out, despite her subsequent smile.

"Then at least let me know your name."

Moonbyul gave her a slightly confused look, wondering why the Omega could possibly want to know her name, at this early stage especially. For to her understanding, the only reason an Omega ever asked after something so personal was if they were really intent on claiming an Alpha as their own.

"Are you claiming me?" she asked, unthinkingly, and bit down hard on her tongue to stop herself from saying anything else out of turn.

The Omega however, seemed not to have noticed, and she merely grinned slyly.

"I'm... considering you."

Moonbyul dithered for a moment or two longer, as her and the Omega continued to step elegantly in time with the music. On the one hand, giving the Omega her name would be against every rule she had ever been given by her handlers. But on the other, it was never wise to deny an Omega, especially a possible mate of nobility, anything that they asked for. So she conceded.

"Moonbyul."

The Omega's smile grew exponentially. 

"Enchanted I'm sure. I'm Yongsun."

Moonbyul swallowed hard, nervously. The handlers had been very adamant on the fact that the Omegas would be very probing, and yet give nothing about themselves away. And yet here one was, freely giving her name away to an Alpha who she didn't even know. And this led her to wonder whether or not this actually meant something, or whether this Omega was just particularly naive in the way that these things worked.

So Moonbyul just ducked her head as a sign of submission and they continued dancing in silence, Yongsun thankfully not attempting to probe anything else out of her.

Absent of comparison as she was, as Moonbyul hadn't been subject to observing many Omegas in her lifetime, Moonbyul had to admit that Yongsun was very beautiful. Somehow Moonbyul hadn't ever imagined herself ending up with an Omega like this, perhaps naturally assuming that the most feminine and beautiful Omegas would naturally gravitate towards the masculine ideals that so many of the male Alphas embodied. 

The dance went on for a long time, and the done thing for both Alpha and Omega was to see the dance through to the end with the same partner, unless another Alpha took the Omega's fancy halfway through, at which point it was acceptable to make an exchange.

Seemingly not able to endure the silence as well as Moonbyul, Yongsun did end up asking her a few more questions, most of which Moonbyul politely declined being able to answer. Although she did eventually disclose her age to her, twenty, after much wheedling from the Omega, who seemed pleased enough with her one piece of information when the music finally swelled to a close and they were expected to separate.

Moonbyul bowed deeply at the waist, almost perfectly in time with the other Alphas, which again unnerved Yongsun with it's chilling synchronicity. And when she raised her head, they made a second's eye contact before Moonbyul withdrew, falling back in line with the rest of the waiting Alphas. Then again, the Alphas as a whole now, bowed deeply before the Omegas, one unbroken line of bent shoulders, before they straightened up and left the hall, the watching eyes of the Omegas boring into the backs of their heads.


	2. In Charge

Moonbyul couldn't sleep.

Usually sleep wasn't much of a problem for her. For she had gotten used to the overcrowded barracks, every square inch of floor space filled by an Alpha and their poor excuse for a sleeping mat. She had learnt to sleep alongside the many replicates of heavy breathing, of light snores, of shifting in sleep and even the occasional sob, whether it be a conscious one or not.

But for some reason, tonight, sleep evaded her.

The logical part of her mind insisted that it was because of the choosing. That tomorrow they would have to go through yet more challenges in order to best impress the watching Omegas. And then, after having observed them in every task set out, the Omegas would be invited to request which Alphas they would like to see return for the final round.

But part of her knew that such an explanation was only an excuse for her to hide behind. For the real reason she couldn't sleep was down, undeniably, to Yongsun.

For you see, Moonbyul had never really been that taken by Omegas. Yes, of course, they were pretty, and their scents hard not to crave. But, she supposed, it was quite hard to be desperately obsessed with a group of people who not only treated Alphas like the troublesome dirt on the bottom of their shoe, but also reprimanded them constantly for even the slightest hint of an untoward thought where an Omega was concerned.

And yet... Moonbyul couldn't stop thinking about Yongsun.

For it made her smile, as if cradling a guilty secret, that she knew the name of the Omega interested in her, a luxury she was almost certain had not been afforded to any of the other Alphas. And although she hated it about herself, she found herself loving the feeling that she meant something to an Omega, and she couldn't stop thinking in all manner of despicably passive and obedient ways. 

Turning over onto her front, she mentally cursed herself.

_Get a grip Moonbyul. What are you, some submissive Alpha bitch?_

But despite herself, Moonbyul couldn't help but think that she would gladly be Yongsun's Alpha bitch, so far as she allowed her to be so.

***

Yongsun ducked her head, actively trying to avoid her father's gaze across the breakfast table, as she could tell that he was restraining himself from asking about the choosing from yesterday. For despite her father being the one and only reason she had even attended this year, she didn't much feel like sharing her opinions on it all with him. However, the silence was short lived, and her evasion tactics ultimately pointless.

"So." her father started, tapping his spoon impatiently against the table. "Tell me. How is your first choosing so far? The Alphas of interest to you?"

Yongsun nodded slowly.

"They were certainly... intriguing."

"I understand any apprehension you might have. Alphas are very different to us after all, and must be treated sternly and with reserve."

Yongsun nodded again, hoping to end the conversation quickly, but her father was not to be put-off so easily.

"Any in particular take your interest? I heard that you paired with one for the dance."

"Oh appa please, can we not talk about it? I've barely had any time to get to know them."

Relenting, her father raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Alright, alright. But remember Yongsun, primary impressions are everything. You should choose an Alpha on how they make you feel, not by talking to them. They have precious little to say that would be of interest to you anyway."

Yongsun sighed, tracing her spoon round her bowl absentmindedly.

"Yes appa."

***

The third round of the Alpha-choosing took place outside in the open courtyard, where a temporary fighting ring, consisting of several wooden stakes strung together with rope, had been put up. The Omegas would watch the proceedings from a raised wooden platform, which put into Moonbyul's mind that of a sports game, though she couldn't imagine the Omegas engaging in much chanting or heckling.

The fighting round was the one Moonbyul had been dreading the most. For presenting had been easy enough, and even the dance had been a more or less simple process once it had gotten underway. But the fight was going to be difficult, as it was a dichotomy of expectations. For on the one hand, Alphas were expected practically since birth, to ignore every violent urge they ever had and push it deep down inside them, to be as passive and weak as it was possible for them to be in order to be a passing member of society.

And yet, on the other hand, they were still supposed to be these pillars of masculinity and virility, their muscles chiselled and hard, their stamina and resilience unmatched. And Moonbyul supposed there was some sort of sick joy somewhere, in the minds of certain Omegas, who loved the irony of someone so strong being forced to be so weak.

Their fighting outfits were thankfully, more than a loincloth, and they had each been given a pair of trousers and a thin tunic, either dyed coal black or kept stunningly white, with stitching round the collar and sleeves of the opposing colour. Bandages had been used to bind the legs of the trousers flush to their ankles, and then additionally to wrap around their fists as a form of low-budget boxing gloves. Their feet had been left bare, and Moonbyul hoped that she wouldn't end up breaking a toe.

By the directions of their handlers, those in the white tunics moved to the left side of the ring, whereas those in the black (Moonbyul included) were shunted to the right. And it seemed as if the fighting order would be completely random, with no allowances made between male and female Alphas. For if you were an Alpha, you were expected to be able to prove your strength and dedication to fighting for your Omega, regardless of your gender.

The Omegas came out soon after they had been separated into their respective groups, still dressed in finery yes, but nowhere near as extravagant as they had been at the ball. They sat in neat rows along the wooden platform, surrounding a throne in the centre, upon which the King ascended to last, looking rather weary and as if he'd rather not be here. Chancing a glance at the watching Omegas, Moonbyul found Yongsun to the immediate right of the King's seat, looking beautiful in a lemon yellow dress and with braided hair that exposed the dark roots contrary to her bright blonde.

Dragging her eyes away from Yongsun, Moonbyul stood up straighter as a Beta handler made their way to the centre of the ring, facing the Omegas despite the fact that he was actually addressing the Alphas.

"Today you shall be fighting one-one-one. When the bell sounds, the fight begins immediately. The fight continues until one submits or manages to pin the other to the floor for more than five seconds. Nothing is against the rules except trying to kill your opponent, which will result in instant expulsion from the program. Does everyone understand?"

The Alphas nodded in unison and the Beta handler took and step back and gestured for the first two fighters to come to the centre of the floor, both of them Alpha males.

The first fight was rather a shock to the senses, both Alphas going in hard so that it wasn't long before there was blood spotting the ground and the thin fabric of their tunics. And the thrill from watching was a feeling unlike Moonbyul had ever been allowed to experience before. Because it was Alpha instincts at their most primal, and instincts were something that they had simply not ever been allowed to indulge in.

The fight ended reasonably quickly, the winner managing to hold the loser against the stone flagstones for just long enough, despite their own bloody nose.

It was usually obvious from the beginning who was most likely to win, from any number of indications such as gender, height, muscle mass and just mere physical presence. But every once in a while there was a surprise winner, one such being a rather small Alpha female with cropped blonde hair, who managed to pin her partner by using his weight against him and throwing him over her shoulder.

Moonbyul was relatively near the back of her group, and began to get increasingly agitated as her turn loomed ever nearer. She kept sneaking glances whenever she could over at the Omegas and, she couldn't lie, Yongsun in particular, but almost all of them were focused intently on the fight taking place, or else leaning into their companions to share some comment or observation.

So Moonbyul turned away from the viewing platform and began shifting from foot to foot, preparing herself for the immanent fight.

***

To say that she wasn't intrigued by the fights would've been a lie.

Disturbed yes, and perhaps even a little disgusted, but mostly Yongsun was incredibly and undeniably intrigued. She had known, by common sense, that Alphas were the peak of bodily condition and performance, easily outstripping anything an Omega or Beta could achieve in terms of physicality. But all the behaviour that she had seen from them so far had been so pliant and passive, that to see them be allowed to become truly aggressive and show off their full strength and fighting prowess was undoubtedly fascinating to watch, and if she were completely honest, turned her on a little bit. 

She supposed it was merely because it was such a departure from how Alphas usually acted, that just the fact that it was different was exciting, and sent a thrill, however chilling, down her spine as she watched.

And a particular bolt of excitement shot down to her abdomen when ( _finally_ ) she saw Moonbyul step into the centre of the ring to face off her opponent. Her competition was another Alpha female, visibly taller and with dark braided hair and tanned skin. And Yongsun felt both a twinge of worry for the Alpha and also another wave of anticipation, as she wondered how it would make her feel if Moonbyul managed to overcome the presumably stronger Alpha.

The fight started as every one had, with the sharp ringing of a bell by one of the Beta handlers, who then hurriedly backed off to allow the Alphas to start stalking each other round the ring. Yongsun shifted to the edge of her seat, heart in her mouth, as Moonbyul began sparring with the other Alpha, trading off lighter blows, trying to figure out the others fighting style, before going in harder, with forceful punches and kicks, each trying to unbalance the other and subsequently pin them.

And quite despite herself, she found her heart racing with adrenaline as watched the way Moonbyul's shoulders moved fluidly with every punch, observed the force behind each kick, examined the way she dodged and weaved the attacks of the other Alpha. And throughout it all was the unmistakable scent of Alpha sweat, mingling in the air and creating an atmosphere to breathe in quite unlike any she had been subjected to before.

And although she wasn't completely aware of it, it was stirring deep-seated feelings inside her, feelings which had been pushed down and repressed by centuries of conditioning. For Omegas were in charge, which is how it had always been and always would be. But right now, Yongsun didn't feel in charge at all.

It was almost a shock to her when the fight ended, as she hadn't really been focusing on who was winning, and she just managed to catch Moonbyul pushing hard against the other Alpha chest with her shoulder and then staying there, pinning her to the concrete for all of the five seconds that were required. And when Moonbyul straightened up, her chest heaving with effort, sweat sticking strands of hair to her forehead and blood staining her face and fists, Yongsun could've quite honestly married her on the spot.

And although she was disappointed that Moonbyul didn't glance her way as she ducked under the rope and joined the rest of the victorious Alphas, it was probably all for the best, as Yongsun suspected her face would've betrayed every emotion she was feeling inside had she locked eyes with the unknowing Alpha in question.

She met up with Hyejin after the fight, who looked considerably flushed and excitable herself, and Yongsun was quick to go on the attack, hoping to deflect away from any of her own visible signs of affection.

"What's got into you? You look like you've just gone three rounds with an Alpha."

"Oh you know. Just the thrill of the fight, isn't it?"

"Had your eye on one of them did you?" Yongsun said, grinning. "Was it the one you danced with yesterday?"

Hyejin tapped the side of her nose conspiratorially. 

"An Omega never tells."

***

Moonbyul winced slightly as she dabbed at her split lip with the collar of her shirt, her muscles still aching from the exertion of the fight. If she was honest, she hadn't expected to win the fight. But there had been one moment when she had felt that she was beginning to lose, at which point she had managed a fleeting glance over at Yongsun. And the sight of her expression, tense and expectant, had caused a strange sort of desire deep within her to push to the forefront, the desire to impress, to push, to fight for _her_ Omega.

Which in hindsight, was stupid for her to have even considered, as Yongsun would never be her Omega, not even if they ended up married. For it was simply the way of things that Omegas owned Alphas and it was never to be the other way around.

"Well, well Alphas. I am pleasantly surprised by all of you."

Dropping the collar of her shirt like it had just burnt her, Moonbyul snapped to attention as a slightly overweight Beta handler stepped up in front of them, surveying them with a horrible, fake sort-of smile.

"You've performed... unexpectedly well in your tasks this year. And I'm sure King is more than satisfied by this year's undertakings. However, your ordeal is far from over."

He allowed a pause, as if to build tension, although Moonbyul couldn't imagine a situation in which she would feel more tense than she already did.

"You have presented your bodies to your Omegas, you have shown that you can perform in the pressure of high society, and you have shown that you can fight to win the attentions of your superiors. Now comes the most important challenge an Alpha can face. The challenge of submission."

The Beta handler stalked up and down the line of Alphas, pausing every so often before suddenly swiping down hard with his glove, which he had been slapping against his hand, passing inches away from one of the Alpha's faces, who couldn't help but flinch.

"An Alpha that cannot submit to an Omega in every sense of the word, and to every command given to them, is not fit to be a sire to anyone, let alone the highest in society. If you have any hope of being offered a position of marriage by one of the Omegas in attendance here tonight, it is imperative that you understand the importance of submission in achieving this goal."

And let another pause extend, the silence broken only by the sharp snapping of his glove against his hand, before his next command came out in a sharp bark.

"Kneel!"

Instantly, the rows of Alphas sank to their knees, the first stage of submission, as they began the wait for the Omegas to enter the hall ready to judge them for the final time. There were several servants and mated noblemen and women already in the hall, seemingly to make the process of submission as public and therefore as humiliating as possible. And although Moonbyul tried to ignore them, she couldn't help but pick up on snapshots of passing conversation.

"-that Heeyeon gave birth to an Alpha. They'll be shipping them off to a preparatory school soon I suppose..."

"-such a shame that he ran off with that Beta. With a good Alpha he could've had some strong blooded pups."

"Did you hear? Princess Yongsun is taking part this year."

Moonbyul almost sputtered out loud, her composure dropping for split second before she dragged it back under control, training her gaze hard on the floor to avoid any unfortunate incidents of eye contact.

 _Princess_ Yongsun?

Having recovered from the initial shock, she raised her head once more, wondering in disbelief how she didn't see it before. For of course she had known that the King's daughter had long been approaching the age in which she would be expected to marry, and in actual fact, much of the talk that the Alphas had exchanged ahead of the choosing had been whether or not the princess would show up this year. But obviously, Moonbyul had never come into contact with anyone who could be referred to as nobility before now, and she had had no idea what the princess even looked like. And yet still, she wondered how she hadn't even suspected. The clues had all been there, from her close quarters with the King, to the way the other Omegas naturally gossiped and clustered around her. And quite apart from anything else, she just exuded all the born grace and beauty of a royal, which Moonbyul could no longer un-see now that she knew the truth.

And yet with this knowledge, far from excitement, came the sharp stab of immediate fear.

She was the favourite of the _princess_ , the one closest in the running to becoming sire for the next heirs to the throne. And the thought alone was almost nauseatingly terrifying. For she had only entered the Alpha marriage program under the wishes of her parents, a very poor Alpha/Beta couple, in order to provide for them. And she had been expecting a modest life, if she had been chosen at all, in service to some inconsequential noblewomen, just one of the many on the fringes of high society.

And yet here she was, the pursued Alpha of the _King's_ daughter.

Lost in her thoughts as she was, she hadn't noticed the Omegas beginning to file in until one passed by right in front of her, at which point she immediately made herself smaller, practically cringing away from them as set after set of high-heeled and strong-booted feet passed by her face.

There was another horrible silence once the Omegas were seated, with the goal in mind seemingly to wrack up the tension until it was almost unbearable, to make them feel as scared and as downtrodden as humanely, and perhaps inhumanely too, as possible.

A sharp kick to the back of her spine sent her sprawling without warning, and she was reminded upon the instant of the need during this task to be as submissive as possible. Sinking forward and bearing her shoulders and back as openly as she could, she resisted the urge to wince as a Beta's boot ground into her spine, as the handlers, one by one, began walking across the line of prone, bowed Alphas.

This was the first stage, a strong initial demonstration of humiliation. For it was one thing to submit to an Omega, as that was practically a given, but to be literally walked across by Betas in front of all the watching Omegas, was an insult to any sense of self that the Alphas might still have had.

The handlers then walked back and forth in front of them, snarling and snapping, and hitting them with outstretched palms, leather gloves and the ends of batons. Withstanding the pain was the next test, intended to show that they could control their impulse to lash out and defend themselves, or at the very least run away. For the best Alpha was one that could take a beating from their mate and still come sulking back for more.

And only when every one one of them had been beaten black and blue, the mingled sound of the Alphas gasps and heavy breathing the only sound echoing throughout the hall, did the Betas step back and allow the Omegas part in all this to finally commence.

Moonbyul stayed pressed against the floor, her hands splayed out to show that she had no concealed weapon, and her back arched slightly in what was a traditional position for an Omega to engage in during mating, which only set out to heighten the depersonalisation of the Alphas, reducing them to mere caricatures of their primal selves. She was desperately trying to keep her breathing level, not wanting to appear panicked, and focusing on the pain from her beating helped, as it was a distraction if nothing else from the mind-numbing anticipation that Yongsun might soon be approaching her.

And it was the feeling of a soft, gentle hand against the small of her back that finally broke the agonising wait, although it did send a shudder up her spine quite involuntarily. Moonbyul squeezed her eyes tight shut, as she felt Yongsun slowly trace her hand up to the back of head as she knelt down in front of the Alpha, her warmth and her scent suddenly far too close and yet simultaneously not close enough for Moonbyul.

Moonbyul swallowed thickly as Yongsun moved her hand again to wrap it firmly around her neck, purposefully (or at least Moonbyul assumed it was) pressing against her scent gland, and guiding her head up to rest against her. Resisting every urge to tense up or pull away, Moonbyul let herself fall limp against the Omega and pressed her cheek against Yongsun's abdomen, allowing the Omega to cradle her head and stroke gently through her hair.

It was an extremely childish position, which was the intention of the exercise, meant to infantilise the Alphas into seeming entirely reliant on the care of their Omega. But the position was also agonisingly intimate, and Moonbyul had to put every ounce of her focus into not reacting, as she heard Yongsun's breathing speed up slightly, the Omega's lithe stomach muscles noticeably tensing under her.

Yongsun released her quickly after that, causing her to sink back against the floor. And Moonbyul knew that the next interaction between them was up to her, and how she chose to react would be essential in the assessment of her submission.

The most degrading and therefore most submissive thing she could do in this situation would be to intentionally soil herself, and although she considered it briefly, she wasn't quite prepared to urinate herself in front of a princess. And so she refrained, instead merely curling up as small as possible and widening her eyes until she was reminiscent of a pathetic little puppy, begging it's parents not to discipline it. 

She was purposefully avoiding Yongsun's gaze, not looking her directly in the eye, but instead focusing at some point around her chin. She wasn't exactly sure what counted as the Omega accepting her submissiveness and what counted as them rejecting it, but she was reassured when Yongsun took a firm hold of her chin, forcing her gaze upwards, and then nipped her jaw sharply, enough to bruise but not quite enough to cause bleeding. For a nip of any kind could only be a good sign.

Yongsun let her go then, and Moonbyul sank back into a submissive crouch, not daring to watch as Yongsun withdrew from her, as this would imply eagerness and a sense of entitlement to know what the Omega was doing, which would've been a flagrant breach of submission.

Every inch of her body, bruised from the fight and the beatings, and held tensely in the submissive position, was crying out for rest, but she dared not move an inch, biting the inside of her cheek hard to cope with the excruciating discomfort. The ceremony seemed to drag on and on, with some Omegas taking their sweet time belittling the Alphas they had chosen, but eventually all had withdrawn back to their seats, and it was with blessed relief that the Beta handler gave his next command.

"And fall!"

Moonbyul practically collapsed, flat against the floor, her chest heaving painfully with the effort of finally being able to breathe without restriction. And the sight was a sorry one. A floor covered in exhausted, defeated Alphas, and the Omegas sitting high above them, just staring silently at the pathetic display that they were in charge of.


	3. Tags Are In

The King jumped slightly, looking up from his papers, as his eldest daughter smacked her hand down against the desk to get his attention.

"I want her."

The King replied with a slight stutter, confused.

"H- her, sweetheart?"

"Moon Byulyi. I want her as my Alpha."

It was then that the King noticed the file that Yongsun had slammed down on his desk, with an attached black and white mugshot of a female Alpha, her expression what would be expected of an Alpha, dark, steely and with no emotion to speak of.

"Uh, and... you're certain? Because, I mean... Alpha _males_ are preferable..."

"No appa, I want her or I don't want anyone, okay?"

Her father nodded quickly in agreement.

"Yes, yes, of course. By all means, make the arrangements."

Smiling in slight triumph, Yongsun picked the file back up off of her father's desk and left quickly, a small bounce in her step. It had been easy enough, with her status as princess, to gain access to the files of the Alphas that had been submitted for that year's choosing, and a quick flick through Moonbyul's had been all it had taken to make her mind up. For despite there being precious little information in the file at all, it had been enough to take her interest in the Alpha up to the next level.

The next step now would be to inform the lead handler of her choice, and have her name engraved into a silver dog-tag, which would then be handed to Moonbyul the next morning, as an invitation for her to come to a meeting at midday. Such a meeting would consist of any Alphas that had taken the interest of any Omegas so far, often just one each, but sometimes an Omega would choose more. And they would be allowed to sit, eat and talk together for a short while, as a last assessment for the Omega, to see if they were still interested in the Alpha after a more personal moment of connection.

On her way down however, she happened to come across Hyejin, who looked beyond pleased with herself, like the cat that got the cream. Shifting the file to rest underneath her arm, she hurried after her and they walked down the stairs together.

"What are you looking so pleased about, hmm?"

"Pleased Yongsunnie?"

"You've got that look on your face. You know the one."

Hyejin shrugged, as if to imply that she had no idea what Yongsun meant, but she conceded nonetheless, indulging Yongsun's curiosity at least somewhat.

"Well tell me, where are you off to right now?" she asked.

"To talk to the handlers."

Hyejin smiled, an almost dark sense of delight crossing her face, which confused Yongsun somewhat. But then again, that was just what Hyejin was like. Gorgeous, mysterious, imposing. In fact, Yongsun almost felt sorry for the Alpha that would one day become part of her life.

"Well let's just say, our paths won't be diverging any time soon." Hyejin answered, her cryptic grin only growing wider.

"You're so bad." Yongsun said, pushing her shoulder.

"Of course darling. I couldn't be anything else."

***

"Alright Alphas, tags are in!"

Moonbyul finished pulling her tunic down over her head and diverted her attention immediately over to a gruff-looking Beta handler, who was standing at the door to the barracks with a weary look on his face and a handful of silver chained dog-tags. Immediately Moonbyul felt her chest tighten with anxiety, as she stared at tags as if they would burn her if she touched them, wondering if one of them held her name, and if she would feel relieved or disappointed if they didn't.

The handler read out their Alpha names in a low monotone, tossing each tag at the Alpha as they approached to claim it, and Moonbyul watched, her heart in her mouth, as the number of tags slowly decreased. And Moonbyul was suddenly somehow certain that her name was not among them, that the handler would reach the last one and it wouldn't be her-

"Moonbyul." the handler barked out.

For a second she hesitated, as if frozen, but then the Alpha next to her gave her firm nudge in the back and she stumbled forward to collect her tag, catching it as it was tossed her way. Stepping back over to her sleeping mat, she stared down at the engraved dog-tag in her hand, unsure if she had been expecting to receive one or not. And now that she had one, she wasn't at all sure that she was ready to go through with what it entailed.

The side facing her had her name cut into it, in simple, rough letters. Turning it over, Moonbyul's next breath caught slightly in her throat, as she read the rather more delicately engraved letters on the other side.

_Princess Kim Yongsun of Ihaengyeo (1)_

Somehow, the mere fact of knowing that Yongsun was a princess and the proof of such a fact being right here in her hand felt extremely different, and Moonbyul had to resist the urge to retch as an acrid taste rose up in her throat. She, Moon Byulyi, an Alpha from one of the lowliest districts in the city, and been chosen by the princess as her more than potential sire. The thought alone was almost incomprehensible, and Moonbyul had to lean a hand against one of pillars supporting the roof of the barracks, taking in deep, lingering breaths to stop herself from throwing up.

"Alright, alright, listen up. All Alphas with tags are to regroup outside of the barracks and wait silently for further instructions. Those without are to pack up your sleeping mats and head over to the truck shelter. A transport truck will be here soon to take you back to the training facility."

A small murmur of assent went through the Alphas, and Moonbyul clenched her hand tight around her dog-tag as she followed a tall Alpha-male out of the barracks and over to a small patch of exposed dirt, where they stood waiting. The wait was longer than Moonbyul was expecting, long enough for them to observe each and every one of the unchosen Alphas file past them in silence, their sleeping mats rolled up and tied across their shoulders via a length of thick rope.

It had started to rain slightly since that morning, and Moonbyul found that her terror of what was to come next for her, was offset quite considerably by feelings of pity for the unchosen Alphas, trudging off through the rain, on their way back to the training centre. For no matter how scared she was of the possibility of being mated to the princess, it had to be better than spending another year still unmated.

Another handler, a female one this time, was the one that led them back up to the palace, though they entered through a side building rather than a main entrance, which had been sectioned off into a number of small blocks, reminiscent of changing rooms.

"Alright, the tag engravings were delayed somewhat, so we haven't got much time. All of you pick a cubicle and get changed for the meeting."

The handler waved her hand somewhat dismissively and so Moonbyul headed down the line of cubicles, entering the first one available as the Alphas in front of her began filling them up. Inside, there was only one piece of clothing, a very clean, white hanbok-shirt, that tied in a sash at the waist, made up in some rich fabric Moonbyul had never come across. And although it was simple, it was decidedly more presentable than her basic brown tunic and belt, and so she changed quickly, not wanting to keep the handlers waiting. Stepping outside the small changing room, she noticed that every Alpha had been dressed the same, and she began to wonder if the white colour choice was deliberate in some way, or whether it was just a default choice.

They walked in single file through a positive maze of richly decorated corridors, and Moonbyul was struck with the sudden thought that, should she end up married to Yongsun, that this sort of environment would become her everyday. And no matter how much she tried to imagine it, she just never seemed to be able to fit herself into the image of the inner workings of high society.

The handler stopped them at the door to the hall, and turned to face the now considerably smaller group of Alphas than what they had started with.

"On your tag, each Omega will have been assigned a number. This number is relevant to which table they will be sat at in the hall. Once you enter the hall, you will be expected to head to the appropriate table immediately and engage respectfully with your Omega. Is that clear?"

Another collective nod, and a short fumble of hands on tags to check the number, and in the next moment, the doors were pushed open and the Alphas entered.

The Omegas were all sitting delicately, legs to the side, on one of two opposing red cushions around a low table, upon which was a small bowl of bulgogi, two sets of chopsticks and two shot glasses, on the right side of which sat a white bottle of soju. Moonbyul eyed the bottle somewhat nervously as she approached table number one, and hoped it was just there for show, as she had never been allowed alcohol before, and she didn't much feel like starting now.

Yongsun was wearing another yellow dress, different to the one she had worn the other day, and this one was patterned all over with white and blue flowers, complete with delicate, sage green leaves. Her hair was un-braided, left long, but Moonbyul could still see slight hints of the dark roots underneath, and she wondered not for the first time, what Yongsun might look like in her natural hair colour.

She approached the table with her head down, practically crouching as she walked, making herself look as small as possible. Kneeling on the cushion, Moonbyul placed her hands together and bowed her head before the princess, then kept her head lowered until she felt Yongsun's middle and forefinger on her chin, titling her gaze upwards. Yongsun smiled as she pulled her hand away, and Moonbyul found herself wondering if she could hear her heartbeat, with the pace that it was now setting in her chest, the cold metal of the dog-tag resting against her chest only worsening her nerves.

"It's nice to see you again." Yongsun started, casually pouring herself a shot from the soju bottle, then offering it to Moonbyul, who cautiously declined with a shake of her head, and hoped that Yongsun wouldn't be annoyed.

"Not many Alphas get this far." she remarked, and Moonbyul flicked her gaze back up to Yongsun's, a little pleading.

"You may speak." Yongsun added quickly, picking up on Moonbyul's tense posture.

"Thank you, your majesty."

The corner of Yongsun's mouth twitched into a smile, and she shook her head slightly, taking a sip from her shot glass.

"Just Yongsun is fine."

Moonbyul nodded, and wondered for a moment if starting another line of conversation would be seen as out of place, before deciding to take the risk.

"I uh. I didn't know you were the princess."

Yongsun tipped her head to the side, looking considerably amused.

"How could you of known?"

Moonbyul nodded, conceding.

"Indeed."

Seemingly aware of her nervousness, Yongsun gestured to the bowl in front of them.

"Please, eat."

Moonbyul's gaze flicked down to the bowl of bulgogi between them, then back up at Yongsun, waiting for her to make the first move, which she did so, separating the chopsticks on the right and picking up the first piece of meat.

Cautiously, and with every effort not to overstep Yongsun's authority in any way, Moonbyul picked up her own chopsticks and reached for her first piece of meat only when Yongsun had finished chewing her own. As she ate, Yongsun watched her intently, her gaze of which Moonbyul made sure not to pick up when she had her mouth full.

"May I ask." Yongsun started, once Moonbyul had finished. "What was the food like? Where you came from?"

Moonbyul hesitated again, in much the same manner as she had done at the dance, and bowed her head apologetically.

"Begging your pardon your majesty, for I don't mean to deny your wishes in any way but, we really aren't supposed to disclose information on the training facility."

Yongsun nodded, understandingly.

"I see. And, it's Yongsun. Please."

Moonbyul nodded.

"Forgive me. Formalities are usually the given."

Yongsun, undeterred by Moonbyul's considerable lack of interaction, was watching her as if she were the most fascinating thing she'd ever seen. 

"What can I ask you about?" Yongsun said, sounding generally interested, which surprised Moonbyul somewhat.

"Anything not pertaining to the training facility, Yongsun-ju."

Yongsun smiled absentmindedly at the use of the rather creative honorific, but didn't comment on it, and instead gestured for Moonbyul to eat once more, which she did while Yongsun continued to consider her carefully.

"May I ask what age you were when you entered the facility?"

There was a small silence between them, as Moonbyul considered this question carefully, and decided that there was nothing stopping her from answering.

"Thirteen, Yongsun-ju."

Yongsun was taken aback by this answer, and obviously it showed on her face, as Moonbyul lowered her gaze, and she began to fidget slightly with the chopsticks.

"And before then?" she probed, though her tone was gentle.

"I lived with my parents, Yongsun-ju."

"Where?"

"In Ganang-dong."

Moonbyul noted Yongsun's slight frown and ascertained that she had probably never heard of such a place, which was hardly surprising. Ganang-dong was one step away from being classed as a slum after all, and Moonbyul could hardly expect the princess to have knowledge of it.

"Do you have any siblings?"

Moonbyul paused for the briefest moment before replying.

"No, Yongsun-ju."

"And your parents, they're... hardworking?" she continued, taking another bite herself from the dish in front of them.

"As hardworking as an Alpha/Beta couple can be, Yongsun-ju."

Perhaps her face betrayed an emotion she hadn't meant to show, as Yongsun seemed to hasten to apologise. 

"I meant not to offend. I only wondered as to the circumstances behind someone being submitted for the Alpha choosing."

"It was the choice of a better life, Yongsun-ju. And to be of some notable service to the nation, a task I take on gladly."

"I confess, I don't know much about the lives of Alphas. You shall have to tell me one day."

It was a subtle insinuation, casual, throwaway if you like. But Moonbyul caught it as if she had said the very words themselves. 'One day'. A day in the future then, a day that wasn't today. In simpler terms, Yongsun was saying that she wanted to be in contact with her further than just this moment. And really, in context, that could only mean one thing.

Swallowing softly, she ventured an answer.

"I could do that, Yongsun-ju."

It was small, almost imperceptible reaction, but Moonbyul caught it, although only because she was so on edge, and had been so focused on Yongsun's face. It had been her nostrils, flaring, bringing in a slightly more intense breath, complete with it, the search for a scent. 

Almost as if it were an instinctual reaction, Yongsun made a sudden move for her wrist, taking hold of it firmly and bringing it up to her nose. Moonbyul swallowed harder, and with a lot more difficulty, having not expected an act of possessiveness at this stage, and her mouth went dry as Yongsun inhaled against her skin, taking in the scent from the smaller scent gland on her wrist.

Moonbyul stared at her, feeling distinctly self-conscious, and certain that the two of them were being watched. The look on Yongsun's face was hard to discern, but Moonbyul could see hints of surprise and also... longing? Perhaps. After all, she was no expert in reading into the emotions of Omegas. And as Yongsun inhaled deeper, she noticed that her mouth opened slightly, and her protruding canines brushed, a feather's touch really, against the skin of her wrist.

It was, in actual fact, a low cough from one of the Beta handlers that brought Yongsun's gaze back up to her, and when she saw the almost desperate, pleading look in Moonbyul's eyes, her gaze shifted to just behind her, and presumably up to the handler. Suppressing a growl of annoyance, she dropped Moonbyul's wrist, which the Alpha hastily pulled down into her lap, bowing her head and avoiding eye contact once more.

Watching out of the corner of her eye, Moonbyul's gaze followed her as Yongsun downed the rest of her shot and then placed the glass back on the table, leaning back slightly on the cushion with an impatient sort of expression on her face. And if Moonbyul had been nervous before, it was nothing compared to now.

A sharp tension had shot up between them, that wasn't entirely unpleasant, but Moonbyul wasn't quite ready to explore past that line just yet. So instead she cringed away from Yongsun, making herself small again, hoping against hope that by way of submission, she would escape any punishment that might get levelled her way.

By the time the handlers were calling for the Alphas to stand up again, Yongsun had made several attempts to interact with Moonbyul. But Moonbyul had replied only with short nods or shakes of the head, or if necessary, one word answers. Not wanting to get in trouble yes, but also because she was fearful of what might happen if she indulged Yongsun any further.

Moonbyul purposefully avoided Yongsun's gaze as she stood up and followed the rest of the Alphas out of the hall, although she could practically feel Yongsun burning a hole in the back of her head as she walked.

The wait outside the hall was agonising, for Moonbyul at least, and she had to clasp her hands together and press them against the wall behind her to stop from visibly fidgeting. For she had known, more or less, what she had been getting into when on route to the Alpha-choosing a few days ago. But what she hadn't expected from the whole process, was the overwhelming feeling of anxiety she would get, at the possibility of disappointing an Omega, of letting them down. Of not being _good enough_ for them.

The sound of the door opening and a Beta handler appearing from inside, almost caused her to jump, though a sharp dig into the centre of her palm with her fingernails soon brought her under a semblance of control. And before she knew it they were being led back into the hall, a deadly silence having fallen over the room.

The layout of the hall had changed considerably, the tables and cushions cleared away, and all the royal courtiers standing in two lines either side of the throne. The Omegas were all sat on separate cushions, not the red ones, behind the King, who was resting his leg across one arm of the throne, clearly having some trouble in finding a comfortable position.

With what looked to be a rougher grasp than was probably necessary, one of the handlers, who had all been waiting in a line standing opposite the throne, took hold of the upper arm of the first of the Alphas and escorted them to one end of small platform in front of the King. Taking the hint, they knelt down and bowed their head, as their respective Omega stood up and descended down to stand at the other end of the platform.

Moonbyul watched, intrigued, as the Omega placed their hand into one of two bowls that had been set up on a table next to the platform, and took it out with their fingers dripping red. They then used this to paint a red stripe along the Alpha's neck, over their scent gland. Moonbyul noticed, as the Alpha washed their hand off in the second bowl, that some of the paint had dripped down, staining the collar of the Alpha's white hanbok shirt.

The Alpha was excused soon after this, and the Omega took their seat once again behind the King. And the process continued on in the exact same away for each and every one of them, the line of red-streaked Alpha's growing ever larger until finally, it was just Moonbyul left.

Expecting the pressure on her arm, she relaxed her muscles so the handler's fingers wouldn't indent so hard, and she made sure to keep pace with them so that they would tug her along as they had done with some of the others. The stone floor of the platform was harsh against her knees, but was hardly the worst pain she had ever endured. And in fact, the horrible anticipation of waiting for Yongsun to approach her, was far more unendurable than any physical pain she could've subjected her to instead.

As the lower half of Yongsun came into few, Moonbyul found that she was using every ounce of focus that she had to keep from visibly shaking. She kept her eyes trained resolutely on the polished marble floor underneath her as Yongsun dipped her hand into the small bowl on her left, coating her fingers in the thick red dye. And Moonbyul, almost instinctively, turned her head to the side, exposing her neck to Yongsun, wanting desperately to please her, to let herself be marked, and then be allowed to run off back to the other Alphas.

Reaching down, Yongsun gently pressed her fingers against Moonbyul's neck, eliciting a slight reaction from her as she brushed against her scent gland, and then swiped downwards, smearing several streaks of the blood red paint across her pale skin. The paint, Moonbyul knew, was a form of temporary skin dye, intended to last just long enough to keep her marked until her and the Omega that had chosen her were married, at which point it was most usual for the paint to soon be replaced by a real mating bite.

She kept her head down, knowing that she would regret meeting the Omega's gaze, as Yongsun washed her hands in the provided water bowl, so that her fingers were not also stained red for the next week, before she placed her now wet palm against Moonbyul's forehead, keeping her in place for a few seconds more before allowing her to stand, bow, and finally withdraw.

The ceremony ended reasonably quickly after that, everyone surrounding the line of pliant Alphas dissolved into low conversation, and heading towards the exits, presumably having no need to stay. The Omegas left also, although many not before they had spoken quietly to their personal servants, and Moonbyul watched the back of Yongsun's pretty blonde hair with a feeling in her chest that she would've been quite unable to describe.

But not a few seconds later, she was approached by the same young girl with silvery-blonde hair, who had directed her to Yongsun in the dance hall. The small girl nodded her head minutely before speaking.

"Annyeonghaseyo. I am Jiae, Princess Yongsun's maidservant."

Moonbyul bowed her head before the tiny Beta girl, knowing that even she outstripped her in authority, even now, despite her engaged status to the princess. For it had been well established to Alphas practically since birth, that marriage meant nothing in terms of gaining authority, and was more so just a formality, to legitimise heirs for the upper classes. As of such, most in the lower and middle classes didn't bother.

"I've been asked to show you to your room."

Moonbyul nodded again, and followed the young girl's lead out of the hall and down the main corridor, until they reached a set of stairs. Climbing them in silence, they reached another corridor several floors up and began moving past various opulent looking bedroom doors before emerging into a more understated hallway, which Moonbyul recognised as similar to the ones back at the training facility. And her room was indeed, unnervingly similar, the padded walls and bolt-lock painfully noticeable in a room which otherwise, would've passed for that in perhaps a middle-class Beta sort of household.

"You are to see the physician at nine o'clock tomorrow morning." Jiae said, turning to face her once again. "A manservant will come to escort you."

Moonbyul nodded, bowing again.

"Kamsahamnida."

Jiae bobbed her head slightly, and then hastened away, leaving Moonbyul alone in the doorway to the bedroom. Having had no other instructions, she presumed that she was supposed to stay here until nine o'clock the next morning, so she quickly shut the door behind her and moved to sit on the bed and look round the room.

Like she said, if it weren't for the padded walls and general unlived-in feel of the room, it would have seemed like any other middle class bedroom. A simple single futon-bed in the far corner, on the opposite wall to which sat a small fireplace, unlit. Above the fireplace was a mantlepiece, upon which stood a wooden clock, whose tick was noticeably audible. A door by the end of the bed, upon investigation, led to a small wooden sink and toilet set up, a luxury Moonbyul had never been privy to before. Back home in Ganang-dong, and at the training facility also, all toilets had been outside in an outhouse, an internal plumbing system being too expensive to implement in either place.

There was no bath, but Moonbyul presumed, in a palace as big as this, there was likely to be a communal bathing area of some sorts. Private bathrooms were something only the very rich had, and obviously, she didn't and never would, fit into this category.

Moving back into the bedroom, the only other thing of note, besides the simple tapestries on the walls, was a wooden dresser, with a mirror above it. Moonbyul checked the drawers, most of which were empty, but the top one of which contained various sets of simple white clothes, folded, and two wooden combs, one bigger with finer teeth, and the other smaller but with wider teeth.

Closing the drawer, she glanced at the clock and decided she had enough time to run through some of the punishing floor exercises they had been put through daily back at the training facility. For although they were far from enjoyable, they were part of a routine, and Moonbyul was sceptical of being able to get to sleep quickly in such an unfamiliar place, without at least some referral to what would soon become old habits.

Dropping down, she began counting out a rhythm of head-pounding amounts of push-ups, sit ups, plank holds, matching her breathing like they had been taught to maximise oxygen intake at the right moments in each exercise. By the end of it, her muscles ached, her knuckles stung, and a layer of sweat had formed all along her torso. So before she got into bed, she pulled off her shirt and used it to rub herself down, before dropping it on the floor and climbing into bed topless, the duvet a comfort against her roughened skin like she had never felt before.


	4. A Wedding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would just like to say before you read this chapter, a huge thank you to everyone who has read, left kudos and commented on this fanfiction over the past few days. It's honestly insane to me how much interaction this little fic of mine has had in such a short time, and I honestly never expected such a reaction :D And in terms of your comments, I felt like it would be overkill to reply to every single one, and I didn't want to reply to some and not others, so I just wanted to say also that I do read all of them and appreciate them immensely.
> 
> Thanks again all for the love and I hope to be able to continue this and provide you with more chapters as soon as I can!

Moonbyul woke suddenly, from a nightmare perhaps, for although she couldn't remember what she had been dreaming about, a distinct sense of dread stayed with her for a few minutes after. And for those few minutes, she just lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, and letting the pale morning light filter in through the curtains covering the small window that she hadn't noticed the night before.

And it was as the feeling of dread began to ebb somewhat, that she remembered the physician's appointment, and so she threw back the covers and straightened up, stretching her back muscles before glancing over at the clock on the mantlepiece. She had cut it incredibly close, the time very nearly nine o'clock, but enough for her to get dressed.

Opening the dresser drawer once more, she began searching through the piles of clothes, looking for a suitable outfit. And she was now certain that the white colour had some sort of significance, as there was not a single item of clothing that wasn't a bright, startling white. Aware that she didn't have much time left, she hastened to dress, first donning her chest wrappings, then choosing a pair of cotton trousers and a loose white dress shirt, leaving her feet bare as there were no shoes or socks to speak of.

The knock came precisely on the hour, just as she was combing her hair, so she placed the comb down promptly on top of the dresser and crossed the room to open the door. As Jiae had said there would be, a manservant was waiting outside, and he nodded his head as Moonbyul bowed low in answer.

The two didn't exchange a single word the whole way down to the physician's office, it not being a necessary action in the least, but it gave Moonbyul cause to wonder if her life now would be led in silence, only speaking with permission and dreading the possibility that she might step out of line and receive rightful retribution for it.

The physician was an Omega male, about the same height as Moonbyul but reasonably smaller in build. His clothes were quite normal, the only thing betraying him as a doctor being the stitched, two-snake logo on the left side of his shirt. Looking up as she entered, he smiled, somewhat critically, as she bowed.

"Ah, the princess's Alpha. Up on the table please."

Nodding her head, Moonbyul levered herself up onto the examination table, the metal cold through the thin material of her trousers. As she waited, she watched as the physician washed his hands in a nearby sink, scrubbing hard with a rough-bristled brush before drying them on a clean towel and bringing out his drawer of instruments.

He did very basic checks first, listening to her chest, shining a light in her eyes, looking at her teeth and gums, checking her reflexes, all while asking her questions about her health, about any family histories, whether she got ill a lot, and if so, what of. And Moonbyul tried to answer as best she could, although her memory of any health issues, particularly concerning her family, was hazy at best. Because she had come from Ganang-dong, and health issues had practically come with the property.

He then started on a variety of sense tests, making sure that her hearing was sharp and her sight well-retained, before testing arguably the most important sense, her sense of smell. For the ability to distinguish scents effectively was a vital skill for anyone, be they Alpha, Omega or Beta. For this test, he used a number of isolated scent compounds, getting to tell him what gender the scent came from, then to whether it was a distress scent, or an angry scent, or all manner of different scent make ups.

"Well I'm pleased to say your senses are near perfect." he remarked, packing away the last of the scent bottles, before turning back to her.

"Now, if you'll just stand up and disrobe, so I can examine your physique."

Moonbyul had been more or less expecting this part to come up sooner or later, but was no more looking forward to it than she would look forward to a session tied to the whipping post. But she did as asked, pulling her shirt over her head and then stepping out of her trousers, directing a slight glance at the physician in the hopes that she might not have to go fully naked. But one look at his expression and she understood otherwise.

Not wanting to annoy him, she reached up and undid her chest wrappings, before pulling down her boxy undershorts and pushing them to the side, baring herself for examination. It was a process she had gone through before, a number of times, the youngest of which she had undergone when she was only thirteen.

This one wasn't so bad, the physician's touch firm and professional, only doing so when absolutely necessary. Moonbyul tensed slightly as his hands pressed along her torso muscles, as they were quite cold, and she was reminded briefly of how cold it had been during the presentation phase. Unfortunately, the examination did require that he lingered somewhat on the groin area, it generally being deemed as one of the most important aspects of an Alpha to an Omega after all, but he undertook the task quickly and efficiently, not lingering and clearly trying to minimise any awkwardness for Moonbyul.

She noticed that he did linger slightly on her back, and she guessed this was down to the myriad of faded lacerations and scarring left behind by the many beatings and whippings that every Alpha had undergone in the training facility, whether as a compulsory exercise or else as a punishment for some usually inconsequential mistake.

But soon enough it was finally over, and she was allowed to get dressed once more as the physician sorted through his instruments, searching for the tools he needed to take blood.

"Okay, hold out your arm for me please."

Moonbyul did so, and allowed the physician to tie a piece of cloth tight around her upper arm to force the blood flow down to the elbow. He then swabbed the area with rubbing alcohol and tapped against the skin until a vein came into view. He missed the first time, and Moonbyul resisted the urge to wince as he pulled the needle out and tried again, slowly drawing the syringe out and then decanting the blood into a separate vial.

"Alright, all done. Just keep that pad pressed down for a minute okay?"

Moonbyul nodded, keeping the pressure up on the wound to stop it from bleeding as the physician tucked the bottle of blood into his shirt pocket, then pulled two more empty vials from his doctor's bag and handed them to Moonbyul, who took them in her free hand as he checked on her wound.

"Excellent. That's all the tests done, now I just need a few more samples from you."

Moonbyul gave him a questioning look, and he hastened to explain.

"That one's for urine." he said, tapping the top of one. "And the other is... um. For semen."

Moonbyul's expression must have betrayed her, as the physician hastened to give his reasonings.

"It's a standard test, I assure you, for the future sire of nobility."

Moonbyul nodded, trying hard not to betray her unease.

"I suggest you conduct the delivery in this side room here while I take the blood vial down to the testing room, alright?"

The physician then departed into the corridor, leaving Moonbyul alone in his office, clutching the two empty vials. Following his suggestion, she made for the door on the opposite end of his office and let herself into the side room. The room itself had nothing in it but a small table and a bench, and was very clean, the bright white-washed walls making the room seem much lighter than the office had.

Wanting to get all this out of the way as soon as possible, she filled the urine vial first, securing the lid with a twist of her hand and placing it on the small table next to the door. But then she was left staring down at the second empty vial, knowing what she needed to put into it and yet in no such mind to provide such a substance. She had had just such a fertility test once before, on the year she had first been submitted to the Alpha-choosing, although circumstances being as they were that year, she hadn't been able to attend.

She tried to remember what she had done that time, absent of any sort of stimuli to 'get it up' as it were, but she couldn't seem to recall anything about it. Sighing, she decided that she would just have to have at it until the desired result came forth, however long it might take to do that.

Rolling her trousers and undershorts down just enough to take her member in hand, she began massaging it lightly, trying to get it to harden. But really there was no pleasure in an action like this for her at all. For ever since she had hit puberty, anything even approaching a sex drive had been bullied out of her, as had been done with all the Alphas on the training program, the rut becoming purely associated with pain and confusion. For on the few times when she had tried to relieve the pressure herself, the lack of a focus and discomfort of sweating palms against a red hot rut-erection had been too much to bear.

But hey, she wasn't on the rut now. And surely it couldn't be that hard? She'd done it at least once before after all.

She worked at it for a few minutes, grimacing with the effort, but growled slightly in frustration as she failed to get the result she needed. She guessed it was because there was just nothing enjoyable about it, no tension, no atmosphere, nothing to get it going. Of course, with an Omega it would be different, because of-

Moonbyul opened her eyes, her grip going slack as an idea came into her head. Tucking herself back into her undershorts and pulling up her trousers, she moved back into the physician's office, and was relieved to see that he wasn't back yet. Making her way over to the box of small glass scent bottles, she searched through them until she found the one she needed. 

_Omega - Aroused_

Moving back into the side room, bottle in hand, she un-stoppered the lid and held it up to her nose, breathing in deeply as she pushed her other hand back into her shorts. The scent was perfect, raw and sexual and yet unattached to any feelings of guilt, as the scent, a modified sample as it was, couldn't be linked to any specific Omega.

Already Moonbyul could feel herself hardening, and she kept a hold of the scent in her nose as she placed the bottle down next to the urine sample, and picked up the second of the collection vials in it's place. Already her hand was tightening around the vial, needing something to ground her as the pressure began to mount in her groin. The Omega scent had brought thoughts to the forefront of her mind that she hadn't ever really had before, of an Omega on top of her, pinning her down, roughly taking what was theirs-

Moonbyul stuttered slightly, losing her rhythm for a moment, as the image of Yongsun came inadvertently into her mind. It had been purely accidental, thinking of Yongsun, as her scent was really nothing like the one in the bottle. But perhaps it was because Yongsun was really the only Omega she had ever come into significant contact with, and that if things progressed as they were doing now, it wouldn't be long before her and Yongsun would be doing it for real.

And although her cheeks burned red and a sharp stab of guilt and shame twisted in her abdomen, at using the thought of Yongsun in such a primal, selfish way, she knew right then that she wasn't going to be able to finish without the image of the Omega in mind. So she let the fantasy keep running while she upped the pace, trying to finish before her imaginings managed to get any more shamefully explicit.

But as she got closer and closer to her release, the images got to a point where they became far too realised for her to be comfortable with, and less of the fuzzy, almost dream-like ones they'd had been to begin with. So she squeezed her eyes tight shut and forced the images out, out and away, as she jacked off hard, trying to finish.

"Fuck..." she muttered, angling the sample vial as she released, and managing to catch most of it, as it wasn't a big spill by any means.

Shaking her head as if to remove any trace of the memory of the past five minutes, she screwed the lid shut on the sample bottle and hastened to return the scent bottle to the box before the physician returned, which he did about a minute later. Nodding his head graciously as Moonbyul handed him the sample bottles, he gave her an odd sort of look, his hand lingering on the handle of his doctor's bag.

"You should pay a visit to the baths." he eventually said, snapping the clasp shut. "They're in the room adjacent to the centre of the courtyard, up that way." He jerked his thumb. "Should anyone question you, tell them Dr Midian sent you."

Finding that baths was as easy as Dr Midian had said, although she still entered with a distinct sense of trepidation, as the room was lit only by a few narrow windows near the top edge of the walls, and was considerably darker near the floor. The baths themselves consisted of a large stone pool, hexagonal in shape, and filled with slightly steaming water, giving the air a humid and slightly clagging quality.

Due to the darkness and humidity, Moonbyul hadn't noticed the other Alpha at first, and when she had, had not known that an Alpha was what they were. She had practically thrown herself into a submissive crouch upon coming across them, and they had reacted in much the same way, although less visibly under the water.

"B- beg pardon." Moonbyul started, trying her best not to stutter. "I did not know anyone else was here."

The other Alpha, which Moonbyul had since caught the scent of, held out their hands, as if in a gesture of surrender.

"Think nothing of it. We are both here under flimsy convictions after all, I can only assume."

"Are you to be married?" Moonbyul asked her, cautiously moving to sit on the side of the baths, her feet dangling in the water.

"Indeed, to an Omega in close connection with the royal court, or so I've overheard. What of yourself?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"I am staying here under the courtesy of Her Majesty Princess Yongsun."

The Alpha's face cleared in surprised recognition. 

"Ah of course, the surprise choice of the princess. I have to say, I am not sure whether to envy or pity such a position."

Moonbyul nodded, her head tilting slightly to the side, as if in a way of saying 'too right'.

"I can only agree with such a dilemma."

The Alpha smiled, and Moonbyul found her amusement infectious.

"I'm Wheein." she told her, and Moonbyul inclined her head.

"Moonbyul."

Nodding, Wheein braced her hands against the side of the bathing pool and levered herself out, reaching for a towel to rub herself down as Moonbyul awkwardly looked away, before dressing herself in her clothes once more.

"I'll leave you be." Wheein commented, struggling slightly with her top button. "I find bathing alone to be a much more preferable experience than to with others."

Having won over the button, Wheein ran a hand through her hair and shook it slightly, trying to work out the water. She then held out her other hand, the more or less dry one, which Moonbyul noticed had a pretty distinctive scar etched on the palm, and she shook it, the other Alpha's grip firm and meaningful.

"Perhaps we shall meet in passing once again."

Moonbyul smiled and bowed her head slightly.

"I should like that."

***

Breakfast having been neglected that morning, Moonbyul was pleasantly surprised to find that lunch had been left in her temporary accommodation, when she got back from her visit to the baths. Changing out of her damp clothes, which she had put back on after her bath in order to return to the room, she sat crossed-legged on the floor to eat her jjigae and rice. Moonbyul was no stranger to eating the simplest of simple food, as well as having only one meal a day (or even less, as could often be the case at the training facility) and so she had no bother getting through the meal, eating quickly out of habit, lest it be snatched away suddenly for some reason or another. 

Nobody called her for any more examinations for the rest of that day, and she spent most of her time running through various exercises drills until she couldn't physically continue on with them, at which point she lay spread-eagled on her back on the floor and watched the ceiling, allowing herself to properly think for the first time, something she had been scared to let herself do.

Because really, it was only now that the enormity of what was happening to her was properly hitting home. For of course, marrying a member of the nobility had always been the end goal of her entering the Alpha training facility. So she had always known, on a purely factual level, that it was going to happen, or else she would be cast out for ineffectual results.

But somehow, actually _being_ here, in the royal palace, of all the noble buildings in the kingdom to be confined to, was an entirely different ball game. It was probably the fact that Yongsun was a princess, a first born Omega princess at that, that made it so much more overwhelming that perhaps it might have been with an Omega of lower nobility. But also, there had been an odd sense of falsity to her experiences before hand, as if it had all been some sort of strange game, with the end result being something far from real and truly existing. But now, _right_ now, nothing in the world could've felt more real. And Moonbyul was terrified.

Closing her eyes, Moonbyul tried to think back to the days before the Alpha training facility, to her childhood back in Ganang-dong, back to her parents. But it was a strain, the memories slipping away like water through her fingers, her recollection blurred and, she suspected, probably not entirely reliable anyway. And it was an unnerving feeling, to know facts about her own life, and yet be practically unable to actually remember any of it.

Feeling suddenly far too stifled and exposed, Moonbyul raised herself up from the floor and stripped off her shirt before climbing into the bed, wrapping herself in the covers and trying to envelop herself in a cushioning layer, anything to keep bad thoughts at bay and make her feel as safe as possible in a place so frighteningly unfamiliar.

***

Over the next few days, Moonbyul was subjected to a vast array of tests and preparations, for even though she had been assured that she had passed the physical, the resultant social and behavioural tests seemed never to end. And by the end of every day her head was swimming with the amount of information she had to remember, and the rules she had to abide to, now that she was being inducted as the Alpha of the princess.

By the day before the wedding however, the tests were all but concluded, with only a morning evaluation to go, before she was to undergo preparations for tomorrow. As for said preparations, Moonbyul had been quite unaware of any of the processes that needed to be undertaken for a wedding, as simple as they were nowadays, to take place.

To begin with, she had to undergo a laborious fitting session, though her Alpha-trained ability to stand stock still came in useful, as seemingly every inch of her body was assessed by a strip measurer and two maidservants. And once fitted, she then had to try on a number of pre-made military style suits, in various colours from blue, to navy, to green, maroon and the last of which a black one, with red, white and black stripes along the sleeves and jacket.

With each suit fitting she had to stand for a photo, and she noticed that the photographer extracted what looked to be a blank print from each one, and disappeared into another room between each fitting. Moonbyul was intrigued by what he was doing, as she was with the whole photo taking process, the system being incredibly new and exciting to her. Photography had been practically unheard of in the slum districts, and it had only been very recently that the process had extended down from just the nobility into more middle class households as well.

As the photographer took her picture in the last suit, Moonbyul was reminded of the first ever photo she had been subjected to. It was when she had been nineteen, and eligible for the choosing that year, which had required a photo. And although she had never made it that year, the same photo had been used for this year, the process too expensive to justify repetition. And yet here she was, having half a dozen pictures taken of her, most of which would end up being entirely inconsequential. The nobility really did have more money than they knew what to do with.

"Alright, that'll be all." the photographer called out rather brusquely, beginning to pack away his camera as the two maids set about helping Moonbyul out of the suit.

"You can return to your lodgings." one of the maids told her, once she was dressed back in her white clothes, and Moonbyul bowed her head low in answer, before withdrawing from the room.

She knew her way around quite well by now, or at least the route from her temporary accommodation down to the various examination rooms she had been housed in for hours on end over these past few days, and she was starting to think that maybe it wouldn't be so difficult, living here. She only wished that one day she would get the opportunity to go back to Ganang-dong, even if only for a day, and check that everything was how it had been, and to refresh her memory which was still frustratingly evasive, despite her attempts each night to recall whatever she could about that time, so long ago now.

Though she was rather sceptical of ever getting that chance, as it was rare that an Alpha, let alone a mated one, was ever seen going out alone anywhere, and it wasn't at all likely that she would ever convince Yongsun to take her down into one of the city slums.

By the time she got back to her room, she was more or less exhausted, the last few days having rather taken it out of her. For despite having spent years undergoing back-breaking exercise drills, work details and vicious whippings and beatings, preparation for entering high-society had made her more tired than she had ever been before.

Barely able to keep her eyes open, Moonbyul dropped down onto the mattress and not half a minute later, she was asleep.

***

"Your majesty, the prints."

Yongsun smiled at the silvery-blonde haired girl and took the stack of photos from her hand, as she lent back against the stone arch that her and Hyejin were sitting in.

"Thank you Jiae."

Intrigued, Hyejin glanced over her shoulder.

"Oh aye. Brought out the whole wardrobe for you to choose from, huh?" She tutted somewhat scathingly. "You royals, you get it all. My Alpha's just getting what she's given."

Yongsun raised and eyebrow, amused.

"It's official then? The Great Ahn Hyejin is getting herself an Alpha?"

Hyejin tossed her hair slightly.

"No more surprising than the virgin princess."

Yongsun's cheeks coloured slightly and she looked away from Hyejin for a moment. She knew that it was irregular for a royal to wait this long to mate with an Alpha, despite the average age for most other nobility to do so being a few years after their first heat. But it was almost a given that royalty, as soon as they became fertile, were expected to immediately start looking into a sire. And so she had long been attracting some rather untoward attention as to her consistent lack of desire for a mate, for the years that she had been putting off finding one.

"Which one are you thinking then?" Hyejin asked her.

Yongsun frowned, turning over the picture in her hand to look at the back.

"I know they've written the colours on the back, but it's still damned inconvenient that all the photos are in black and white. It's only because of all those stupid traditional rules that means I can't just choose in person."

"Ah, stupid rules as they may be, rules are there for a reason. Who's to say you wouldn't just jump on her if you were allowed in close quarters?"

"Just because you're a regular Casanova, doesn't mean we all are."

"Whatever. I'm going back up to omma's house to get changed for tonight. Tell me how it goes, alright? And don't spare on _any_ of the details."

Yongsun rolled her eyes.

"You are despicable."

Hyejin grinned at her as she left.

"I try."

***

A wedding, in the way that weddings had once been known, was practically unrecognisable in the state that Moonbyul found herself engaged within. Most pertinently, long ago, it was the Alphas that had taken a leading role in a marriage, something which even Moonbyul found confusing. Omegas, after all, were the lifeblood of a marriage, the creators of family, forgers of generational lines. Indeed, what good was a marriage, or a society even, run by Alphas, who could do none of this? Alphas, who were so clearly helpers, supporters, not leaders? When building pillars of support, did the strongest not go at the bottom?

Regardless however, some traditions from the old ways had inevitably stuck, although their original intention had long since lost relevance. The military suit for instance, a call-back to the days when army warlords ruled small pockets of the kingdom, and marriage became one of the only ways to unite and keep peace. Although now it was more a representation of the one of the few half-respectable Alpha jobs remaining, with marriage being an accurate comparison.

The tradition of the Alpha waiting at the alter was also not lost, although rather than it being representative of their Omega being delivered to them, they would be required to kneel, head bowed as low as they could manage, waiting for their Omega to do them the great honour of gracing them with their presence.

And this was the position Moonbyul found herself in that evening, dressed in the suit that Yongsun had chosen (the black one with tri-colour stripes on the jacket) her knees already starting to ache with the effort of staying completely still for such an extended period of time.

She had been trying not to look visibly petrified ever since she had been dressed in the suit and escorted down to the great hall, in which the marriage was to take place, and the large array of guests, the vast majority of them Omegas, that were watching from either side of the aisle, really wasn't helping her nerves. Most of them had been engaged with a glass of some kind of alcoholic beverage, and here and there, the odd hors d'oeuvre, from a table set up on the side. Moonbyul hadn't eaten since early that morning, but found that she had no appetite despite this, too sick with terrified anticipation to feel hungry.

She knew when Yongsun had entered the hall by the collective hush that fell over the watching guests, although she didn't dare raise her head to try and sneak a glance at her. She did wonder idly what sort of dress she might wear, but it was an inconsequential thought, and easily overwhelmed by her nervousness.

It took Yongsun quite a while, perhaps a minute in all, to reach the platform Moonbyul was kneeling on, and Moonbyul caught sight of the hem of her dress, white, as was still the usual even from the olden days. It didn't appear however, to be in the hanbok style, which wasn't too surprising, as recently such a style had been fallen out of fashion, it being considered perhaps somehow demeaning to the Omega. It was all to do with tradition anyways, and what could be taken and interpreted and what needed to just be scrapped, and it hurt Moonbyul's head thinking about it. Matters of tradition could be left to the Omegas, and gladly.

As the officiator welcomed Yongsun and began running through the introduction to the ceremony, Moonbyul felt her nerves begin to lessen slightly, as Yongsun's scent surrounded her, so close as the Omega was. And she could tell that Yongsun was watching her, even though she daren't raise her head herself to check.

Upon the command, about halfway through the ceremony, Moonbyul rose herself up slightly, shifting to kneel on only one knee, a symbolic pledge of allegiance to her Omega, with Yongsun's hand moving to rest gently on her head, as the officiator ran through the vows. The Alpha was not under orders to answer anything, their submission alone being their answer, and Moonbyul couldn't help but close her eyes and focus in on the feel of Yongsun's hand, her fingers buried slightly in her hair, and pushing gently against her scalp.

But then she felt Yongsun's hand withdraw from her head, her fingers tugging slightly at strands of her hair, and the Omega's hand moved to her wrist, guiding her gently to stand up. And Moonbyul found suddenly that she couldn't breathe, as Yongsun set about scent marking her, rubbing her neck against her own and causing her to tilt her head to the side to make it easier for her. And it was only when Yongsun withdrew that she was able to take in a breath, letting it out shakily, and close enough that Yongsun must've felt it.

Still holding onto her wrist, and rubbing her thumb in gentle circles around the scent gland there, Yongsun stepped back from her, and Moonbyul instinctively looked up. And for a second they locked eyes, Moonbyul's gaze wide and slightly worried, Yongsun's predominantly amused. But then Yongsun had cupped her neck in her hand and had leaned in to kiss her, and Moonbyul was suddenly lost in the taste of her mouth.

She was surprised, of course, as trading a kiss at a wedding was a vastly outdated practice, finding it's origins way back in the days when the Alphas had been mostly in charge. And although it wasn't technically frowned upon, it was often viewed as mostly pointless, especially amongst the upper classes, as it was suggestive of a level of equality between the Omega and the Alpha, which was very simply not the case.

But it had been Yongsun who had initiated it, and Moonbyul knew that nobody would dare contradict the will of the princess, although she made sure to pull away and look down, as soon as Yongsun allowed her to.

There was a round of polite clapping as the ceremony came to a close, and Yongsun couldn't help but look over at her father as she linked hands with Moonbyul, and her heart swelled as he smiled and nodded at her. For despite the fact that she had married Moonbyul mostly out of expectation and procedure, pleasing her father had always been the main reason why she had agreed to go this year. For he was often sad and experienced bouts of extended depression, and so to do something which made him so happy was entirely worth it for Yongsun.

Yongsun stepped down from the platform first, very much in control still, despite their joined hands, and together they walked down the centre of the hall, and through the lines of watching courtiers. Once down the aisle, Yongsun let go of Moonbyul's hand and the Alpha stood subserviently at her side, as she engaged in conversation with various guests that had attended the marriage ceremony. And although she was in no way involved with these interactions, Moonbyul rather enjoyed the dynamic. Being allowed to listen in but not expected to make any contribution herself.

And it was only when the King himself appeared before them, his smile like the sunshine, and so intriguingly similar to Yongsun's that Moonbyul couldn't help but stare, that the seemingly endless trail of people Yongsun needed to talk to began to melt away. As the King moved in to hug Yongsun and then hold her in front of him by the shoulders, Moonbyul finally forced her gaze downwards, respecting the moment between parent and child.

"My daughter." was all he really said, practically beaming as he did so. "Congratulations."

"Thank you appa."

Yongsun turned to look at Moonbyul, as if wanting to share the moment, but Moonbyul refused to pick up her gaze, entirely conscious of exactly how close the King was and how she was expected to behave around him. Following his daughter's gaze, the King acknowledged Moonbyul with a glance, as if having just noticed that she was there. He then nodded slowly, almost to himself, and gave Yongsun a knowing smile as he placed his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Go. I'll handle the guests tonight."

Grinning at her father, Yongsun took hold of Moonbyul's hand again and led her out of the hall, the two footmen by the door bowing them through. The corridors were mostly empty, although they would occasionally come across the odd servant or courtier, who would quickly bow their head in respect and hurry past.

Yongsun noticed however, that Moonbyul was being somehow more quiet and reserved than usual, keeping hold of her hand still yes, but it was a lacking grip, limp almost. Her expression didn't really give anything away, and Yongsun wondered what she was thinking about, and whether or not it was the same sort of things as she was. And so she decided it was about time to start conversation with her newly wedded Alpha.

"I apologise for not preparing you for the kiss. It was rather a... spur of the moment decision."

Moonbyul didn't say anything, just looked up at Yongsun with wide eyes as they continued to walk slowly down the corridor, and Yongsun seemed to pick up quickly on the reason for her silence, as she rolled her eyes and nudged the Alpha's shoulder with a closed fist.

"Now that we're married Moonbyul, I should suggest that your permission to speak to me be permanently granted, unless I say otherwise, okay?"

Moonbyul nodded, and gave Yongsun a small smile.

"Thank you, my lady."

Yongsun gave a short laugh and shook her head.

"Oh please, don't start with that. You are only to call me Yongsun from now on."

Moonbyul nodded again, her shoulders relaxing somewhat.

"Yes Yongsun."

They walked in amicable silence for a few moments longer, Yongsun's fingers twitching somewhat impatiently against Moonbyul's own, and Moonbyul felt the tension spike somewhat. Although this time, it was far from an uncomfortable sort of tension.

"Speaking of kisses..." Yongsun eventually continued, and Moonbyul's ears pricked, waiting in anticipation for her next words. "I would quite like another one from you."

As Yongsun turned to look at her, Moonbyul made sure to nod readily, and before she knew it, Yongsun was on her, pushing her up against the corridor wall and kissing her hard. Her mind flailing to find the appropriate reaction, Moonbyul just kissed Yongsun back as the Omega's hands went into her hair, grasping at the roots and tugging slightly. And as Yongsun's mouth moved down to her jaw, then her neck, she couldn't help but let out a breathy exhale and she suddenly felt Yongsun's teeth against her neck, smiling.

"You know, I did wonder sometimes, when I was younger. What it would be like to kiss an Alpha."

Moonbyul nodded, but didn't interrupt, letting Yongsun continue her musing in-between pressing kisses to her neck.

"But... I never really _wanted_ to before, you know? It was just trying to envision the future everybody said I was going to have, being married to an Alpha. But it's so different actually doing it." She punctuated this last point with a nip to Moonbyul's jaw. "Because now I don't want to stop."

Moonbyul gave a slight shake of her head.

"You don't have to stop."

Yongsun did stop however, no sooner had these words left Moonbyul's mouth, and Moonbyul was struck with the sudden horror that she had said something wrong, something out of line, something inappropriate for an exchange between an Alpha and an Omega. But Yongsun only pulled away and eyed her for a second or two, before her face split into a grin and she kissed Moonbyul quickly before grabbing her hand, tugging her along the corridor as they made their way up to her bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, for all you Omegaverse hoes like myself out there, the smut is coming, I promise ;)


	5. Submission

Yongsun started kissing her again before they had quite reached her bedroom, pressing her against the wall just next to the bedroom door. Moonbyul for one, was quite taken off-guard by Yongsun's eagerness, for although she had been expecting her to be assertive, this was really an entirely different _sort_ of assertive.

And as Yongsun kissed her, nipping at her bottom lip occasionally as she did so, Moonbyul felt impatient hands unbutton her jacket and then untuck her shirt from her trousers, following upwards and tracing along the hard lines of her stomach. And despite not wanting to seem as if she were proclaiming any form of dominance over Yongsun, Moonbyul tried to give her a hint that maybe they should move inside, by reaching for the door handle and carefully nudging it open.

Yongsun heard the sound of the door handle as Moonbyul turned it and paused for a brief moment before stepping away from her and then pushing her backwards into the door, following as it gave behind her and the two of them stumbled inside.

Moonbyul swallowed hard as Yongsun shut the door behind them and immediately pressed closer to her, her hands already slipping under the Alpha's jacket to gently push it off of her shoulders, leaving it to drop onto the floor by her feet. Her hands went to next to the buttons on Moonbyul's shirt, and the Alpha just lent back against the wall, her fingernails digging slightly into the plaster, prone and willing to let Yongsun do whatever she wanted to her.

Yongsun herself however, although not surprised by Moonbyul's reaction, was slightly irritated by it, wanting Moonbyul to engage a little bit more than just sitting back and letting Yongsun grope her. So after working off Moonbyul's shirt, she kissed the Alpha firmly, feeling pleased when Moonbyul kissed her back, and then grabbed hold of the Alpha's hands, moving them up to her chest.

Moonbyul immediately froze up, looking at Yongsun with wide eyes, and Yongsun couldn't help but take pity on her. Smiling, she lent up and kissed Moonbyul softly, before using her own hands to guide the movement of the Alpha's.

"It's okay. You can touch."

Rolling her eyes at the Alpha's almost juvenile reaction to such permission as to be able to actually touch an Omega, she pressed down rather forcefully on Moonbyul's knuckles, effectively caressing her own chest using Moonbyul's hands. The Alpha herself still looked terrified however, and Yongsun realised quickly that they would get nowhere by continuing down this path.

So she released Moonbyul's hands from her grip, letting them drop back down to her sides, and instead focused her attentions on the Alpha's body.

Although she would never fully admit it to herself, she had been increasingly curious as to exactly what lay beneath the Alpha's trousers, ever since she had first caught a glimpse of it during the presentation phase. For although, ostensibly, she knew that all Alphas possessed members, even the females, her imagination alone had never quite been enough to form a fully realised image in her head as to exactly what one looked like. Or indeed, how it might feel.

And with this train of thought, she found herself wondering, with a slight frown, if the same was true of Moonbyul. If she too had yet to see the fullness of an Omega, or if she had already been there, either by her own will or else forced as part of the Alpha grooming program. And merely the thought of this possibility alone was enough for a sharp stab of jealously to move through her chest, and for her to let out a possessive growl, pushing against Moonbyul and pinning her much more firmly to the wall behind. Moonbyul yelped slightly at the change in pace, but openly allowed Yongsun's roughness, readily submitting to the harsher treatment.

"Mine..." she muttered, trailing sharp nips along Moonbyul's exposed collarbone.

Moonbyul let out a shaky breath and nodded.

"Yes, yours."

Placated somewhat by Moonbyul's avid compliance and surrender to her touch, the feeling of untoward jealously in Yongsun's chest ebbed slightly, her caresses becoming more gentle as she connected their lips again, not wanting Moonbyul to feel like she was being used as a stand-in punching bag.

"I should..." Moonbyul said, in hushed tones between kisses. "Take off my boots, yes?"

Yongsun made an impatient sort of noise against her mouth before pulling away briefly.

"Quickly."

Moonbyul nodded and knelt to start untying the laces on her boots. And true to her word, Yongsun didn't allow her long to do this at all, as the moment she was in just her socks, Yongsun tugged insistently on her wrist and pulled her back up, winding her fingers into her hair and kissing her demandingly, although again, a little more softly than she had to begin with.

Sighing into Moonbyul's mouth, her hand found it's way to the Alpha's crotch and she began palming her through her trousers, although she made sure to be gentle, so as not to startle the Alpha. And it seemed to work, as Moonbyul thrust her hips weakly up into her hand, although she did little more than that, still surrendering herself almost completely to Yongsun's touch. Frustrated by her lack of engagement, Yongsun pulled away from the kiss and fixed Moonbyul with a direct stare.

"Take off my dress Moonbyul."

Moonbyul nodded, and with a gentle hand on her shoulder, turned her round so that she could undo the lacing at the back of Yongsun's dress. Yongsun herself practically shuddered at the feeling of Moonbyul's strong, capable hands against her, and already she could feel the Alpha's slight hardness pressing up against her leg.

Moonbyul was slow and careful with undoing her dress, so as not to damage it, much to Yongsun's frustration, although she patiently allowed Moonbyul to do this, not wanting to push her into anything too fast. But having said this, no sooner had she stepped out of the dress and allowed Moonbyul to kick it out of the way, was she back against the Alpha, her hand grasping more insistently at the front of her trousers as their mouths connected in another hard kiss.

"Un- Yongsun..."

"Yeah?" Yongsun replied, continuing her hand movements down below.

"What- what do you want from me?" Moonbyul asked her, a little breathlessly.

"I want to see you."

Nodding, Moonbyul made to undo her fly, but stopped when Yongsun grabbed her wrist, gently pulling her hands away from the front of her trousers.

"Let me."

Moonbyul watched, wide-eyed, as Yongsun knelt in front of her and slowly undid the buttons holding up her trousers, slipping her hands under the waistband and then pulling her trousers down to her ankles. Due to her boxy undershorts, Yongsun still couldn't really see much of her hard-on, but was satisfied enough with tossing her trousers to the side and then stripping off her socks, all while Moonbyul watched her.

But when she made a move back up to her undershorts, cupping the hardness she could feel there, Moonbyul made a small noise of disapproval and very hesitantly tried to guide Yongsun away from her crotch, without much success.

"Please Yongsun..." she whined, sending a jolt of excitement through Yongsun's abdomen. "I should be making you feel good."

Glancing up at Moonbyul from between her legs, Yongsun let out a small smile, not in the least bit put out that Moonbyul had, to some degree, just attempted to take control from her. Because it made her feel even more turned on to deny her.

"You are making me feel good." Yongsun answered, pressing a small, open-mouthed kiss against Moonbyul's clothed member and causing her hips to stutter forward. "You're being a good Alpha and letting me have my way with you."

Moonbyul nodded insistently.

"I'll be a good Alpha for you Yongsun, I promise."

Yongsun smiled, her eyes darkening slightly.

"Good. Then you'll let me get on with it."

By the time Yongsun gently coaxes Moonbyul's undershorts down and off, her member was already half-hard, although Yongsun wasn't surprised that it was lacking full capacity, as neither her or Moonbyul were on their respective heat or rut. Moonbyul looked away from her, perhaps embarrassed at her lack of presentation. But Yongsun was already more than impressed by the Alpha, although to be fair, she hadn't exactly had any previous experiences to compare her to.

Standing back up from where she had been kneeling, she made sure to keep Moonbyul distracted by kissing her, as she wrapped a fist around her member in order to get it to full hardness, fascinated by the way it felt in her hand. And Moonbyul, spurred on by the assurance that this is what Yongsun wanted her to do, braced one arm against the wall and tangled the other in Yongsun's hair, leaning her head back as Yongsun gently stroked her.

"Tell me Alpha." Yongsun mumbled into Moonbyul's ear. "Does that feel good?"

Moonbyul nodded hastily.

"Uh huh."

"You want me to keep going, yes?"

"O- only if you want to."

"Oh trust me, I want to." Yongsun answered, purring her words into Moonbyul's ear so that the Alpha visibly shivered.

Moving to stand behind Moonbyul rather than in front of her, in search of a better angle to get her off with, she began nosing at the Alpha's neck, pressing firm kisses to the skin there as she stroked her harder, her other arm wrapped possessively around her waist. And Moonbyul responded exactly how she had wanted her to, practically sinking into her arms and leaning her head back against Yongsun's shoulder, her eyes fluttering closed.

And of course, control was one part of it, with both the social expectation and Yongsun's own desire to assert control over her mate playing a huge part in the way she was treating Moonbyul right now. But also there was this strange fascination deep down inside Yongsun, that had been awakened now that she had access to her own personal Alpha, an insatiable intrigue to explore the realms of sexuality previously closed to her, and a great interest in observing the reactions her exploration would elicit from her all too willing test subject.

Moonbyul let out a small noise as Yongsun squeezed particularly firmly during one stroke of her member, and the Omega's pupils widened in excitement, her eyes darkening slightly, as she saw the way Moonbyul bit down hard on her bottom lip, clearly extremely close to release.

A low rumble rose up in Yongsun's chest, an aggressive, possessive sound that perfectly emulated the how she was feeling, seeing Moonbyul so close to the edge, and all because of her. Wanting desperately to watch her fall apart at her hands, she bit down slightly on the skin just below her ear, growling lowly against heated flesh.

"You're being a good Alpha for me, aren't you?"

Moonbyul couldn't quite manage to answer, but she nodded insistently.

"You know how you can be even better?"

Moonbyul let out a small whine and shook her head. And baring her teeth in an almost predatory grin, Yongsun lent in as close as she could to Moonbyul's ear and whispered, low and rough.

"Come for me. Come for your Omega."

Yongsun relished in the expressions contorting Moonbyul's face, fascinated by the control she had over the Alpha, and she found herself biting her own lip with repressed desire, as Moonbyul let out a soft grunt and finally came in her hand, thrusting slightly into her now slick fist to ride it out. Pleased with the result she had gotten from the Alpha, Yongsun smiled against Moonbyul's neck, continuing to press firm kisses to the sensitive skin there.

"Mmm... good girl."

Moonbyul was breathing hard, overwhelmed by the sensation of coming at the hands of an Omega for the first time. But wary of the fact that Yongsun needed herself tended to as well, she grasped the back of Yongsun's shoulder with her hand and nosed at her neck, trying to get her breathing under control.

"Do... do you want my help now?"

Yongsun grinned, nipping at Moonbyul's ear and pushing her away from her neck.

"We'll get there."

Pulling away from the Alpha, she picked her shirt off the floor to clean the excess of Moonbyul's release off of her hand, before reaching up to start undoing the lacing on the back of her bodice. Moonbyul immediately made to help her, but Yongsun shook her head, stepping closer to Moonbyul until the back of her legs hit the end of the bed. Pressing a hand firmly against the Alpha's chest to keep her there, her other hand moved back up to the lacing.

"Stay. Watch."

Swallowing softly and nodding to show that she understood, Moonbyul sat back against the bed and watched, captivated, as Yongsun slowly stripped off her bodice, leaving her in just her bra and underwear. Moonbyul felt her cheeks reddening, but resisted the urge to look away, as Yongsun had wanted her to watch. As limited as her interactions and observations of Omegas had been up until this point, she had never before seen an Omega like this, so undressed and open, and with the assured promised that she would soon be allowed to touch, although strictly under the allowance of said Omega of course.

Yongsun continued undressing in front of her until she was completely bare, and immediately Moonbyul felt a slight hardness return between her legs, an involuntary reaction not only to seeing Yongsun, but also to the sweet, heavy scent in the air, that seemed to cling to everything, until Moonbyul's head was swimming with nothing but the scent of Yongsun.

And suddenly it became all the more overwhelming, as Yongsun clamped her hands down hard on the foot of the bed, fixing Moonbyul with a sly grin and transfixing the Alpha's gaze onto her own, as she slowly crawled up towards her until she was hovering. With decisive hands, she pinned Moonbyul down by the shoulders in a firm grip and straddled her lap, as the Alpha stared up at her, even as Yongsun's gaze moved downwards.

Very obviously visibly restraining herself from just pouncing and ravaging the Alpha, Moonbyul watched as Yongsun traced her finger along the underside of the cloth strip binding still wrapped around her chest. And for a second, Moonbyul saw a flicker of concern in Yongsun's eyes.

"What?" she asked, before she could bite her tongue to stop herself.

She saw a slight flash of disdain cross Yongsun's face, but the Omega didn't act upon it, and instead shifted her gaze back up to Moonbyul's.

"Doesn't it hurt? Binding your chest like this?"

Moonbyul shrugged a little awkwardly.

"We always have to bind our chests whenever we wear formal clothes, or when we were working on presentation. It-" Moonbyul faltered for a moment, catching the look in Yongsun's eyes. "It's no problem."

Yongsun's eyes had darkened again, but this time not from lust, from the excitement of power over the Alpha, but rather from silent, seething anger. It scared Moonbyul to see such a look in Yongsun's eyes, as even though it wasn't directed at her right now, there was no reason that it wouldn't be sometime in the future. Clenching her jaw slightly, Yongsun made to slot her hand under the bound fabric, tracing Moonbyul's shoulder blades with her fingers.

"Well you only answer to me now. And I don't want you to wear it _ever again_. Okay?"

Swallowing softly, Moonbyul nodded.

"Okay."

Working away silently at the join, it wasn't long before the bindings came loose and Yongsun tugged them off with rather more force than necessary, tossing them to the side and, at least from Moonbyul's perspective, casting a sharp glare of considerable distaste towards them, before turning back to her.

As for Yongsun herself, she wasn't quite sure why the bindings had offended her quite as much as they had, but something about it just rubbed her the wrong way. Maybe it was the continued insinuation that female Alphas were somehow inferior to male ones, functioning only as imitations of them, with their lacking members and bound chests. But Yongsun resented this idea greatly, not only on Moonbyul's behalf, but also as a point of pride for herself. For why should her attraction for an Alpha, female as Moonbyul happened to be, ever be viewed as, in any capacity, lesser?

"I want to make something clear." she said, as began kissing slowly along Moonbyul's jaw once again.

Moonbyul nodded, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes, Yongsun?"

Yongsun gave a sharp nip to the underside of Moonbyul's chin, but the Alpha didn't flinch this time, having rather expected the action.

"You don't answer to anyone but me. If anybody else tells you what to do, you don't listen to them. You are my Alpha. Only I'm allowed to order you."

Moonbyul was nervous about what this order entailed, and the possible trouble it might cause her if a conflict of interest came up and she might have to defy someone that was her superior. But above all, the thing she was most scared about was disobeying Yongsun, so she nodded, deciding there and then that no matter what the situation, she would uphold Yongsun's wishes, no mind to the punishment this might bring down upon her.

"Only you." she reaffirmed, basking then in the smile that Yongsun sent her way.

"Such a good Alpha. So obedient."

Yongsun traced her fingers down the side of Moonbyul's face before she cupped her neck in a firm grip, pressing slightly against her throat with her thumb.

"Listen now Alpha, because I want you to tell me something. Assure me you've never done this with anyone else."

Moonbyul shook her head insistently.

"Never. No-one else."

Yongsun watched Moonbyul's eyes carefully, searching for any hint of deception, but could see none. And she was pretty certain that Moonbyul would be incapable of lying to her anyway, should she have ever had reason to do so. So, satisfied so far with Moonbyul's answers, she pressed more insistently against her neck, somewhat restricting her breathing as she bent down close to her ear in order to talk lowly into it.

"And nobody but me is ever allowed to do this to you, now, or any day in the future. Tell me Moonbyul, assure me."

Moonbyul shook her head, slightly desperately.

"No-one Yongsun. No-one but you. I am your Alpha."

And Yongsun couldn't help the warm glow that rose up in the centre of her chest, as her own Alpha staked her to them claim upon themselves, not just submitting, but actively pursuing submission. And Yongsun couldn't deny the thrill that went through her at seeing it. Releasing her neck and reaching her hand up to stroke it gently through Moonbyul's hair, almost in the way one might pet a kitten, she smiled approvingly down at her.

"Good."

To tell the truth, Yongsun had surprised even herself with how possessive she was being with Moonbyul, but she found that she almost couldn't help it. For already just the idea of Moonbyul ever being with another Omega, of allowing another Omega to touch her in the same way that she had, made her so angry she could hardly think.

Keeping a firm grip on Moonbyul's shoulder with her left hand, she began grinding slowly against the Alpha, confident in being able to keep complete control when doing this. Although if she was honest with herself, Yongsun was nervous. She had little to no knowledge of how these things were supposed to work, and especially not how Omegas were supposed to react when engaged in them. Although it reassured her somewhat that Moonbyul was equally inexperienced, and wouldn't question anything that she tried to do to her.

Right now she was straddling the Alpha, having backed her up until she was leaning against her headboard, and Moonbyul was just sitting back and letting her do whatever she wanted to her, clearly trying not to appear to desperate and certainly not being in anyway forceful in pursuit of her desires. Yongsun continued to grind against her for the next minute or so, partially in order to get her hard again, but mostly because she was greatly enjoying frustrating the Alpha and watching her try not to show it on her face.

Eventually however, even she began to tire of the teasing friction between the two of them, and she felt Moonbyul practically flinch as she wrapped her hand around her member once again, and then immediately pushed herself down onto it, giving neither of them any time to hesitate. And as she winced slightly, the intrusion slightly too much to handle all at once, Moonbyul groaned in turn, though hers was less from discomfort and much more of overcome longing.

It was difficult at first to adjust to Moonbyul's size, even if, from the fleeting stories she had heard about Alphas, she was pretty sure Moonbyul wasn't all that big, although damned be anyone who would dare suggest such a thing about her Alpha. She supposed it was a first time thing, a lack of experience with having an Alpha inside her, but regardless, she made sure not to show her apprehension on her face. In vast contrast, Moonbyul had her eyes shut tight and her head tilted back, visibly overtaken by the sensation of being inside the Omega.

She was surprised when she felt Moonbyul's hands pressing lightly against her hips, an uncharacteristically assertive gesture, and she let out a warning growl, taking firm hold of Moonbyul's wrists and pushing them against the headboard.

"Don't. Let me."

Moonbyul visibly shuddered, whether it was from fear or from some other emotion entirely, but she nodded and let her hands drop limply by her sides, not daring to move as she let Yongsun take what she wanted from her with no protest.

Yongsun started with slow movements, bracing herself against Moonbyul's shoulders as she tried to get used to the feeling, having never done something like this before. Although one thing that confused her was that everyone had always told her that the first time would be painful. And yeah, she supposed it was a little bit, but it was really nothing to hype up as much as people had done all her life. Although admittedly, size probably did matter when it came to such assertions. 

But the marginal pain that had been there at the start soon began to fade, and as she experimented with a slightly different angle, pushing her pelvis down almost to meet Moonbyul's, Yongsun felt her first proper stab of pleasure, and she began very quickly to understand the appeal of having a mate, especially she imagined, during one's heat. 

"Jesus, fuck-"

It was a slight wonder to Moonbyul, to hear such language from the mouth of such a beautiful, elegant Omega as was Princess Yongsun. But she had little scope to think on this, as not a second later Yongsun thrust against her hard and then continued with a similar sort of pace and intensity, seemingly trying to find the exact right position to drive them both over the edge as efficiently as she could.

Now Moonbyul, due to the years of sexual repression she had undergone in the training facility, had not been at all prepared for any of the possible ways that Yongsun might've gone about ravaging her. But she was perhaps the least prepared for such a hard, savage pace as the one that Yongsun was setting against her, and soon enough she could feel herself reaching the edge, despite the short time frame. Not wanting to interrupt Yongsun, who seemed to be focusing with great intensity on aiming each thrust exactly right, but feeling as though she had a duty to tell her what was about to happen, she shifted slightly, disrupting the rhythm for a moment.

"Yongsun-"

"Still." Yongsun growled, almost angrily, in reply. "Stay still."

Noticing that the Alpha was still bucking her hips slightly, despite her order, Yongsun lent forward and held Moonbyul down with a light grip on her neck, not enough to break the skin, but enough pressure to cause her to submit. It was an agonising feeling of anticipation, to feel her teeth so close to biting down, and yet she never did, and Moonbyul could've whined out loud from the lack of a stronger feeling, though she managed to restrain herself.

"Hold it." Yongsun mumbled, a little unintelligibly, due to her mouth being otherwise engaged, fixed around Moonbyul's neck as it was.

And somehow it wasn't as difficult to hold off as Moonbyul had thought it might be, closing her eyes and trying to lessen the intensity of each breath, so that the image and scent of Yongsun wasn't entirely overwhelming. The pain from the pressure Yongsun was exerting on her shoulders helped to distract her as well, although there was no way for her to block out the ever developing sounds of the Omega growing closer and closer to release.

She knew when the Omega had reached the edge when she released her grip on her neck and tilted her head back, her face a picture of bliss. Seeing this, Moonbyul let out a stilted whimper of slight desperation, as if wanting to beg for permission to finish herself, but being too afraid to do so outright. And thankfully Yongsun seemed to get the hint, as she nodded quickly, her own words stunted and breathy.

"Okay, okay. Let it go. Let it go sweetheart."

Moonbyul nodded, her fists clenching tight around the bedsheets, using the pace that Yongsun was still setting against her to reach her own release and letting out a strained whine as she came, the effort required considerably more than if she hadn't been on her back. Yongsun came almost concurrently, letting out something between a purr and a snarl, that was partly aggression but all pleasure, her fingernails digging sharply into the heated skin of Moonbyul's well-muscled shoulders.

Without the power of her heat and Moonbyul's rut, and the resultant knot that would come from it, they weren't locked together, and Yongsun could feel Moonbyul shifting around, as if uncomfortably, as she came down from her high. Feeling a sudden, sharp desire rise up within her, to assert ultimate dominance over the Alpha, she let out a warning growl as she separated herself from on top of Moonbyul, a deterrent for any possibility there was of Moonbyul slipping away from her.

"Stay." she snapped, her voice practically a bark. "Don't move. I'm going to bite you."

Moonbyul took a shaky breath in through her teeth as Yongsun braced firmly against her collarbone and fixed her jaw around her scent gland, slotting herself perfectly into the join between her neck and shoulder, before she bit down hard, the pain sharp and immediate. But it was the type of pain that Moonbyul could imagine herself seeking out again and again, so long as it was Yongsun who was giving it to her each and every time.

But Yongsun didn't just bite once. For not a second after she had released her neck from the first one, did she let out a guttural sort of growl and bit again, in a different place. Moonbyul let out a small whine but submitted to the pressure against her neck, letting Yongsun bite and nip at her over and over, despite the increasing pain with each one.

Eventually however, the feeling of sharp teeth against her neck moulded into a more gentle touch, kisses, before Yongsun began licking delicately at the wounds she had caused, the taste of Moonbyul's blood staining her tongue. She hadn't meant to be so rough, truly she hadn't, but the thrill of biting, of _claiming_ , had quite overtaken her, and she had just wanted to make it as obvious as possible that Moonbyul was taken, that she belonged to _her_.

Although hearing the Alpha whimper, and noticing the slight tear tracks on her face, Yongsun did feel a little guilty. Somewhat clambering over Moonbyul to wrap her arms around her from behind, slotting their bodies together like two spoons in a drawer, she tutted considerately, licking again at the wounds as they began to bleed once more. 

"Sorry love." she mumbled against Moonbyul's ear, kissing it for good measure.

Moonbyul didn't reply, just shifted closer to Yongsun, whimpering quietly as the bite wounds on her neck brushed against Yongsun's shoulder. Crooning softly and mumbling apologies and sympathies in her ear, Yongsun held the Alpha close, cradling her head under her chin and mouthing softly at her neck, attempting to soothe the pain somewhat.

Eventually Moonbyul's soft protests of pain tailed off, and Yongsun felt her go slightly limp in her grasp, allowing the exertion of the evening to drag her down into a cautious sleep. Smiling slightly to herself, satisfied by her assertion over the Alpha and confident in the knowledge that no-one in their right mind would dare go near her, smothered in pheromones and with a neck wound reminiscent of a wolf attack as she was, Yongsun found it easy to fall asleep against her, the Alpha cradled, possessed, in her arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah sorry, I kinda hate writing smut XD So I hope this was okay for you all


	6. The Garden Party

Moonbyul woke to a sharp stab of pain across her neck and winced as she instinctively reached up her hand to touch it, and her fingers brushed against the inflamed bite marks. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed Yongsun asleep behind her, her grip having loosened from around her in sleep. And Moonbyul was quite taken with how beautiful she looked, even if the pale moonlight coming through the window was all that she could see her by.

Extracting herself gently from Yongsun's arms so as not to wake her, she made her way over to the window and drew the curtains, so that the morning light wouldn't disturb the princess. She then made her way back up to the top end of the bed and, noticing the slight goosebumps on Yongsun's arms, she gently pulled the loose duvet cover up and over the sleeping Omega.

Now Moonbyul was no expert in the minds of Omegas, and she couldn't have said for sure whether she was allowed to sleep in Yongsun's bed or not. But in the same breath, she wondered if Yongsun might be upset with her if she wandered too far, especially after what they had done together last night. So eventually she compromised, settling herself at the end of Yongsun's bed and curling herself into a ball, as she tried to ignore the dull throbbing pain in her neck that accompanied Yongsun's bite.

***

When Yongsun awoke that next morning, she was immediately aware of the fact that Moonbyul was no longer next to her, and also that she had had the covers tucked around her to stop her from getting cold. Rubbing the sleep absentmindedly from her eyes, she sat up on one arm and looked around, searching for Moonbyul. And it was then that she noticed that she had moved to curl up at the end of the bed, in a way not dissimilar to a cat, her knees brought right up to her chest and her hands curled under her head.

Although despite her position, Yongsun could still see the bite marks marring the pale skin of her neck, and a strange dichotomy of guilt and pride rose up in her chest. Pride in the effective marking of her Alpha, but guilt in the sense that she really hadn't meant to bite that hard and that many times. The wounds had already begun to clot and scab, although they were red and inflamed, and Yongsun wondered if they would need any medical attention, as she had never heard of a mating bite needing treatment before.

Quite without noticing she had even done so, she found herself hovering over the Alpha, staring down at her face and examining it closely. For she just seemed to find the Alpha to be a never-ending source of interest to her, that no matter how hard and for how long she watched her, she never seemed to get bored.

And it seemed that somehow, Moonbyul was aware that she was being watched, even in sleep, as she began to shift almost immediately into awakeness. And Yongsun wondered idly, as she waited for Moonbyul to notice her, if that was something to do with their mate bond, or whether it was something trained into Moonbyul, to be intensely aware and vigilant to the point of waking when observed.

Moonbyul flinched slightly due to how close Yongsun had been to her when she caught sight of her, and she instinctively drew the covers up to her chest that she had been clutching in sleep.

"Sorry, Yongsun. Did I... disturb you?"

"Why did you move?" Yongsun asked her, sounding genuinely curious, and ignoring Moonbyul's question entirely.

"I... didn't know how close you wanted me to stay."

Yongsun considered this answer for a few seconds before she smiled and ruffled Moonbyul's hair, like one might do to a younger sibling.

"Silly pup." she mumbled, somewhat affectionately, but also somewhat condescendingly. "You'll have your place soon enough."

Moonbyul didn't really know what to say, so opted to say nothing at all as Yongsun tilted her head, shifting her gaze to examine the bite wounds on her neck more closely.

"You want to get that seen to?"

Moonbyul frowned slightly and shook her head.

"It's your bite. I don't want it to heal."

Yongsun shook her head in vague amusement.

"Sorry to break it to you, but it's going to heal whether you want it to or not."

"Not if you keep biting me."

Yongsun let out a small laugh, titling her head down slightly.

"No. I suppose not."

Leaning closer to her, Yongsun mouthed tentatively at Moonbyul's neck, perhaps hoping to soothe the wounds somehow, and Moonbyul tilted her head back to allow her more room, somewhat enjoying the feeling of Yongsun's tongue against her skin despite the pain that accompanied it. And due to her closing her eyes when Yongsun moved from her neck to give her a short kiss, she missed Yongsun glancing over at the clock above the fireplace.

"It's late." Yongsun remarked, pulling away from her. "So I think we'll skip breakfast for today."

Moonbyul nodded, but then averted her eyes hastily, as Yongsun got out of bed and the covers dropped from around her body as she made her way over to a small linen closet, taking out a linen towel and wrapping herself in it. And Moonbyul kept her eyes trained on the floor as Yongsun approached the door, and only glanced up when the Omega addressed her.

"Get dressed, I'm going for a bath."

Moonbyul hesitated, unsure as to what Yongsun wanted her to do, as there were no clothes visibly there for her to get dressed in.

"Uh, Yongsun-"

Yongsun stopped in the open door-frame and then turned her head, her eyes seeming to flash a little dangerously, although Moonbyul could've just imagined it.

"Um, dressed in... which clothes?"

Yongsun considered her for a moment, an amused expression on her face, before she titled her head to the side and gave a slight shrug, vaguely waving her hand in the direction of the built in panelled wardrobe.

"Just have a look around."

Swallowing softly as the door closed behind the Omega, Moonbyul remained on the end of Yongsun's bed for a few moments longer, feeling somewhat like a trespasser, despite having been given permission to stay here alone. 

She started with the pile of her own clothes, trying to see if any of it was salvageable. Both her undershorts and shirt had been dirtied with remnants of her precum and release respectively, but her trousers were still clean and relatively uncrumpled. So she picked them up and folded them, leaving them at the foot of Yongsun's bed to put on after she had found some other clothes. And with only a slight feeling of trepidation, she began looking through Yongsun's wardrobe for something to wear, as instructed.

Most of the contents of the wardrobe, as expected, was fine dresses, fit quite understandably for a princess. But as she moved towards the back side, and in amongst the shirts and bodices, she found a plain, long-sleeved, almost tunic-like white shirt, not unlike those she had worn at the training centre. It was perhaps a little more dressy than she was used to, but was simple enough that people most likely wouldn't be able to tell it had been taken from the wardrobe of the princess.

Searching through the drawers, she also found a pair of simple white undershorts, and although they were quite obviously not designed to be worn by someone in possession of an ample member, it would more or less suit the same purpose.

She dressed quickly, lest Yongsun or a maidservant perhaps, came back in, and then, noticing her jacket on the floor, picked that up and draped it over the back of a chair.

Something she hadn't noticed last night, having been rather too focused on trying to please Yongsun and not fuck up their first night together, was quite how large and highly decorated Yongsun's bedroom was. She supposed it was only to be expected, it being the bedroom of the princess, but what she hadn't expected was quite how Western a style the bedroom would be in. For contrary to the rest of the palace, aside from small bits here and there that she had noticed were not in a Korean style, Yongsun's bedroom was far from traditionally Korean.

The ceiling was decorated with gilded gold struts, separating four separate sections of white washed plaster, which had then been painted into a fresco of various scenes of simple depictions of animals and nature. Moonbyul had never really seen a painting like this before, or indeed, any painting at all really, and so she stared up at it for quite a while, intrigued and fascinated both to it's purpose and the amount of time and money that must've been spent to make it. Such an extravagance would've been unthinkable anywhere but a house who's owner had more money than sense.

Dragging her eyes away from the ceiling, she turned slightly on the spot as she looked round the rest of the rooms. Every spare inch of wall space, that wasn't taken by windows or furniture, was draped in rich blue hangings, presumably to keep the room warm during the winter months. For although there was a large fireplace opposite the bed, Moonbyul knew from experience that a fire could only do so much.

The floor was lined with a rich red and gold patterned carpet, which she had noticed last night but hadn't paid much mind too. And again such a thing was foreign to her, with the carpeting of floors being far too expensive an undertaking for anyone less than middle class. 

The wall with the wardrobe was relatively clear of furniture, but all around the rest of the room were various desks and chairs, and what Moonbyul recognised vaguely as a dressing table, as well as a small bookshelf against the part of the wall next to the head of the bed. She did notice however that there was an odd sort of part to the bedroom, in the far corner, that had been mostly cleared out although for no immediately apparent purpose. She tilted her head as she looked at it, trying to work out what the space would be for, and as her eyes alighted upon a blanket, folded up at the far end of the cleared out space, it finally dawned on her. The space was just about big enough for a floor mattress. So this would presumably be where she was to sleep.

She sat nervously on the carpet in front of the fireplace for a good while, waiting for Yongsun to come back, which she did eventually, dressed in a simple white dress and with damp hair held up temporarily to stop it from dripping onto the fabric below.

To pass the time while she was letting her hair airdry, Yongsun sat in one of her chairs and began reading one of books from her small bedside bookshelf, prompting Moonbyul to sit on the floor next to her and rest her head on her knee, so that she could stroke her hair absentmindedly as she turned the pages. Moonbyul herself was fascinated by books, not necessarily from the contents within them, but due to the fact that she herself was illiterate. And so the very idea that information could be written down and sent to anyone in the world, via pages of tiny black inked squiggles, was quite incredible to her, and she marvelled at the ability of anyone to understand these magic written characters.

As they had awoken so late that morning, by the time Yongsun's hair had dried and she had decided that both of them looked acceptable enough, it was time enough for lunch, which they took alone in a dining hall. Moonbyul noticed that her food was different, more simple, to Yongsun's, but the Omega would occasionally push the odd titbit from her plate onto hers, the likeness of which to an owner and their pet dog wasn't lost on Moonbyul.

After lunch, it seemed as if Yongsun had a number of legal and social engagements to attend to concerning her marriage, and she instructed Moonbyul to spend this time in the palace baths in order to 'get ready for tonight', a rather cryptic statement which she didn't elaborate upon. Deciding that there was only so much time she could spend bathing, and figuring that she was going to wash anyway, Moonbyul took it upon herself to fit in another workout in the shadows of the palace baths, as it had been several days since her last one and she was starting to feel out of practice.

Spurred on by her desire to get back into a routine of physical exercise, she undressed down to her undershorts and pushed herself hard until she was sweating all over, at which point she finally allowed herself the relief of sinking into the comparatively cooler water of the baths.

And by the time Yongsun came to find her again, several hours later, she was sitting on the new floor mattress that a manservant had brought up to Yongsun's bedroom, and was combing her hair with one of the wooden combs that had also been brought up from her temporary accommodation. Yongsun herself was still wearing her simple white dress, but was now holding a pile of clothes in her arms, clothes which Moonbyul could tell from a glance were obviously intended for her. 

Placing the pile down on a nearby chair, Yongsun smiled at her and gestured for her to stand, taking the comb from her hand and then turning her gently with a firm hand on her shoulder, as she teased the rest of her hair out into loose waves with her fingers. She then squeezed Moonbyul's shoulders from behind, leaning in closer to her ear to speak.

"Now then. Let's get you dressed."

Yongsun then, contrary to what Moonbyul had been expecting, began undressing her herself, rather than get a maidservant in. Not sure whether it was more polite to retain eye-contact or avoid it, Moonbyul opted for what she considered the safer option and looked away from Yongsun as the princess pulled her shirt over her head and unbuttoned her trousers, prompting her to pull them down and step out of them. A flicker of amusement crossed her face as she saw the type of undershorts she was wearing, and she handed Moonbyul the pair of standard issue ones from the top of the pile she had brought it.

"You can change those now."

Nodding, Moonbyul did so, intensely aware of Yongsun's probing gaze that stayed fixed on her throughout. Once in her new undershorts, Yongsun took over once more, and Moonbyul found herself struck with the distinct feeling of being akin to a child's dress-up doll, just standing still and mute as Yongsun got her ready.

Although as infantilised as she presumed this was supposed to make her feel, Yongsun seemed to be taking this as an opportunity to do more than just dress-up, her hands tracing along the hard lines of Moonbyul's torso and taking full appreciation in every muscle she could feel as she pulled on Moonbyul's white dress shirt. Moonbyul could feel the tension between them in every movement that Yongsun made, but she steeled herself not to react, just like she had been taught to do if not explicitly asked to behave otherwise.

The suit Yongsun had picked out for her was a pale cream colour, trousers and jacket, and Moonbyul found herself thinking that such a suit was likely to get dirty quite quickly if she wasn't careful. The trousers were held up by a brown leather belt, which Yongsun tightened while looking directly into Moonbyul's eyes, the inherent sexual tension of which wasn't lost on the Alpha, though she didn't react as such to it.

Now dressed up to her socks, shirt and trousers, Yongsun picked up a sky blue tie from the pile and tucked it under Moonbyul's shirt collar, thankfully tying it for her, as Moonbyul had never once been taught how to do so herself. Although she did wonder under what circumstances Yongsun had learnt to tie one, for it was about as rare for an Omega princess to wear a tie as it was for a peasant-class Alpha to do so.

Once tied, Yongsun stepped back and nodded approvingly, with an expression on her face almost like that of a building surveyor.

"You finish okay, I'm going to get ready."

Nodding in answer, Moonbyul's gaze gravitated to what was left of the clothes pile as Yongsun disappeared through the door to the bedroom. Still on the chair was the jacket, folded up and the next to it, a pair of sturdy looking brown boots, which looked optimistically as if they might be rather more comfortable than the one's she had worn to the choosing-dance.

She did find herself tugging slightly at the collar of her shirt, having never of worn a tie before, although the feeling was not too dissimilar to that of collar, which she had most certainly worn before. It dug in slightly to the bite wound on her neck, but she found that she didn't mind so much, and was even getting used to the pain. Kneeling down, she pulled on and tied the laces of the chestnut brown boots before straightening up and donning the cream suit jacket, adjusting the cuffs and the collar until she looked presentable, or as presentable as she was able to conceive looking.

It was at least another hour before Yongsun returned, at which point Moonbyul had become greatly familiar with almost every aspect of her bedroom, having nothing else to do but examine it as she waited patiently for the Omega.

Yongsun had dressed herself in a pretty sky blue dress, the exact same blue as Moonbyul's tie in fact, that was patterned with pink and white flowers and had sheer overlays for the sleeves. Moonbyul was already starting to recognise that Yongsun seemed to favour floral print dresses, a theme she had noticed continuing in her wardrobe as well. She also had several small blue flowers woven into a waterfall braid round the back of her head, and Moonbyul wondered just how long such a style had taken to perfect, and in turn, how anyone ever came to become an expert in such frivolity. 

Right now, Yongsun was stood across from her, looking over her outfit one last time with a critical eye and humming slightly to herself, and although Moonbyul noticed that she was frowning, she didn't dare ask her what was wrong.

"Wait..." Yongsun eventually muttered, and took a step closer to her.

Moonbyul stilled herself as Yongsun reached up and loosened her tie, before undoing the top button on her shirt and tugging the collar to the side slightly, in order to best put on display her ravaged neck, without having her go shirtless. Satisfied now with Moonbyul's appearance, she smiled and nodded, before hooking Moonbyul's hand around the crook of her elbow.

"Come. We're going out for dinner."

***

Although cars did exist among various sectors of the elite, they were still really only used by the government and the military, and so they made their way to the dinner by horse-drawn carriage. Yongsun kept a close grip on Moonbyul's knee the entire journey down, her knuckles flexing occasionally against the trouser material, and Moonbyul kept her head down and eyes trained on her boots, smart enough to know that she should let Yongsun do whatever she wanted and for her to not even imply that it might be unwelcome.

Upon arrival, the coach-driver, an older Beta man, opened the door on Moonbyul's side, and the Alpha hastily jumped down and then helped Yongsun, allowing the Omega to lean on her for support. But as soon as she was down, she guided Moonbyul's hand back to her elbow, leading the two of them up to the venue with Moonbyul slightly behind her.

The party venue was another grand manor house, or perhaps more specifically, the back gardens of the manor house. The host, a young Beta woman, bowed them through a floral arch into the gardens, and Moonbyul had to refrain from gasping out loud.

The gardens were decorated beautifully, with bright, pastel hangings and little collections of coloured glass shards, that reflected the light of the various torches so that they sparkled and spread a kaleidoscope of colours across the garden. Bountiful hedgerows, adorned with pink and white roses, surrounded the main lawn on which the party was taking place, and slightly off to the side, under a marquee, was a live orchestra, that was playing quiet mood music.

There was a platform set up at the high end of the garden, nearest the back of the house, and just next to this, on the grass lawn below, was another table. As it was getting late, and the sun was already beginning to sink in the sky, candles had been lit on both tables, although the ones on the higher table were in grand candelabras, whereas the others were in simple candle holders.

Yongsun guided her confidently and quickly through the throng of guests, so much so that Moonbyul found her gaze pulled from interest to fascination quicker than she could take them in. Although she was perpetually distracted still, as Yongsun pulled her along, by the huge conflict of Alpha and Omega scents that permeated the air, each one battling for prominence in her brain. But Yongsun was there through it all, and due to her position just behind her shoulder, her scent was by far the strongest.

They eventually stopped in front of a slightly older Alpha/Omega couple, both men, and they each bowed low in front of Yongsun before Moonbyul in turn bowed before them. She found out, through listening from just behind Yongsun, that this Omega was the owner of the manor house, and the one chosen to host the after-marriage garden party which apparently happened after every Alpha choosing for the year. Yongsun however, with all the social grace expected of a princess, didn't linger long with the host, and soon enough was steering her back through the crowd once more. 

Moonbyul noticed that, quite contrary to the choosing dance where they had been dressed in mostly dark colours, all of the Alphas were in lighter coloured suits, greys, whites, creams and sky blues. The Omegas too had mostly followed suit in terms of the colour palette, so that the whole function had a much more relaxed and airy feel to it.

In the quick glances that she had been able to steal as Yongsun took her around the grounds, quite a few of the Alphas had fitted leather collars around their necks, a common accessory for mated Alphas, particularly if they didn't have a prominent bite visible in it's place. And indeed, almost all of those that didn't, had such a bite mark upon their skin, although none of them seemed quite as bad as her own, which it's own odd sort of way, made Moonbyul feel somewhat special. That Yongsun had gone above and beyond to mark her as her own.

Eventually they ended up on the table platform, where several Omegas that Yongsun seemed to know more personally were milling around, several of them holding glasses of champagne. One in particular caught her eye for a moment and Moonbyul hastily averted her gaze, almost instinctively moving in closer to Yongsun's shoulder. Noticing her shrinking back, Yongsun pressed her palm firmly against the small of her back and said something close to her ear. 

"Go, sit with the Alphas. I'll find you after."

Moonbyul nodded obediently and was surprised when Yongsun kissed her cheek before she pulled her arm away from hers and made her way over to talk with the other Omegas. Resisting the urge to watch Yongsun and follow her every move, Moonbyul stepped down from the platform and over to the Alpha table, presumably the one set up on the grass below. Both the food and the table itself were noticeably less extravagant than the Omegas', but Moonbyul was glad of it, as she wasn't at all sure that she would be able to stomach some of the fancy dishes she had caught a glimpse of when still attached to Yongsun's arm.

She took a seat at an unoccupied part of the Alpha table, her knee bouncing up and down slightly, a nervous reflex. For extravagant social gatherings were perhaps as far out of her comfort zone as it was possible for her to be, and now she was having to deal with it alone. But much to her surprised relief, another Alpha took a seat on the bench next to her about a minute or so later, and she instantly recognised her.

"Wheein-ssi?"

The short-haired blonde grinned at her and held out her hand, which Moonbyul shook readily.

"Fancy seeing you here."

"You're here with your Omega I presume?" Moonbyul asked.

"Of course. And you with your princess. Not that anyone could've missed her."

Moonbyul smiled back, visibly relieved at having someone she at least vaguely knew to talk to, and an Alpha at that, so she didn't have to keep up a constant level of respect. Wheein was dressed in a sky blue suit, with a white shirt open at the top, and no tie, leaving her neck mostly bare to sight. Although she had noticed, rather curiously, that Wheein seemed to be sporting neither a mating bite nor a collar, though she didn't mention this.

"I see she's already done a number on you." Wheein said, gesturing at her neck.

Moonbyul had been ready for such a comment, and took it in her stride.

"I wear the princess's mark gladly and proudly."

Wheein inclined her head, smiling.

"I meant not to insinuate otherwise."

The two of them then fell into easy conversation, which came to the attention of Yongsun, who had been sneaking glances at her Alpha here and there, making sure she was still within her sight and hadn't made a run for it, not that she thought that she would. And still watching Moonbyul curiously, she followed the wave of Omegas who were now making their way to sit down, and singled out Hyejin to be sat to her right. Hyejin's eyes however, were wide and staring by the time Yongsun took a seat next to her, and she levelled the noblewoman with a confused look.

"What's up with you?"

Hyejin shook her head in disbelief, though Yongsun noticed that she was grinning slightly.

"Jesus Yongsun, whatever have you done to the poor girl?"

Feigning ignorance, Yongsun tossed her hair slightly and looked away from Hyejin.

"I don't know what you mean."

Hyejin raised an eyebrow.

"Oh sure. Y'know, I never clocked you as the possessive type."

"She's _my_ Alpha, Hyejin, why shouldn't I mark her as such?"

"I wasn't commenting on the action Yongsunnie, merely the swift manner in which you seemed to have enacted it."

Yongsun didn't reply to this, and instead turned her attention back to Moonbyul and the Alpha she was talking to. For the other Alpha seemed strangely familiar, and she had a sneaking suspicion that she knew exactly why.

"Tell me, is that your Alpha she's talking to?"

"Indeed it is. Quite the coincidence, don't you think?"

Yongsun nodded, taking in the appearance of this new Alpha with interest. Her and Moonbyul seemed to be getting on remarkably well, and Yongsun found herself wondering if they had known each other previous to their marriage to Omegas.

"You've had your way with her?" she asked Hyejin, rather offhandedly.

Hyejin raised an eyebrow and smiled slyly.

"Well I don't need to ask you the same."

Yongsun gave her a sidelong glance of disapproval, but there was a hint of pride in her expression that she couldn't shake.

"Big is she?" Hyejin continued, taking another sip of champagne.

Yongsun closed her eyes momentarily and turned her head away.

"I couldn't comment."

"Well then, I am only left to assume that she must be lacking somewhat."

A spark of indignation rose up quite involuntarily in Yongsun's chest, but she battled it down quickly and effectively, knowing that Hyejin was only teasing her.

"I'm afraid I must withstand the position that you have no right to make assumptions on my Alpha's prowess, when you have been so mute about your own."

Hyejin rolled her eyes.

"Touché."

Dinner passed quickly, with much good-natured competition between the newly-wed Omegas as to which of their Alphas was, in their humble opinion, clearly the best. And Yongsun wouldn't have usually minded such talk, but now that she was finally in possession of her own Alpha, she did find herself naturally rising to the challenge that her Alpha might not be the best she could've chosen, which she vehemently denied.

Provoked by the conversation, Yongsun found herself anxious to attach Moonbyul to her arm once more, and she supposed in a way, show her off, even if she wasn't quite admitting to herself that this was the main reason for wanting her close. Stepping down the platform, she noticed Moonbyul getting up and standing to attention before she had even reached her, as did the Alpha who had been sitting next to her.

As for Moonbyul herself, it was actually Wheein who had prompted her to stand, noticing that the Omegas were getting up from their table and nudging her in the ribs as a warning. As a result, Yongsun looked relatively pleased with her, and guided Moonbyul to hold onto her arm as she introduced her to another Omega, Lady Ahn, whose Alpha it seemed just so happened to be Wheein, judging by the way the blonde had moved to stand submissively behind her.

Lady Ahn was dressed in a satin blue dress, darker and more simple than Yongsun's, and Moonbyul's immediate first thought was; _Yongsun's is prettier_. Although she frowned as soon as she realised how strangely protective she was feeling over the Omega, as if just the very existence of another Omega next to her was somehow them attempting to best or overshadow Yongsun, which very clearly it wasn't. And why was she feeling like that anyway? That ridiculous sensation of being a submissive Alpha bitch, defending the honour of their Omega?

And yet she couldn't seem to shake the feeling, or make herself feel otherwise for Yongsun. For as much resentment as she held towards the Omegas for the way that they treated Alphas, she just couldn't seem to help practically tripping over herself to serve the princess. And besides, considering the past the Alphas had come from, Moonbyul supposed they were really in no position to be pointing fingers.

"Coming?"

Moonbyul turned her head at the sound of Yongsun's voice and was surprised to find the Omega staring right at her, her hand extended. Realising that she hadn't been listening for at least the past minute or so and had no idea what Yongsun was asking her, she bowed her head, seeking forgiveness.

"Begging your pardon Yongsun-ju, I was distracted."

Moonbyul watched as Yongsun cast a quick glance, almost too quick to notice, at Wheein and Lady Ahn, before she smiled at her and took firm hold of her hand, leading her away from the tables and out onto the lawn, where several couples were already standing. Taking Moonbyul's right hand in her left and wrapping the other perhaps a little too securely around her waist, her smile turned into a grin when she saw Moonbyul's expression.

"Dancing, Alpha. We're dancing."

Moonbyul's face cleared into understanding, even if she still looked anxious, most likely at the prospect of having to dance. But, much like she had during the choosing dance, Yongsun led her in time with the music into a simple box-step, so that neither of them had to focus much on the actual dancing.

"How was the meal?" Yongsun asked her first off.

"Far more than sufficient." Moonbyul answered. "It was very different to what I'm used to."

"I'm glad to hear it."

They danced for a minute or two longer in silence, and Moonbyul tried her hardest not to question Yongsun on her tense posture, nor the slightly frustrated edge that she could detect in her scent.

"Would I be right in saying that you're already somewhat familiar with Lady Ahn's Alpha?" Yongsun eventually asked her, as the song changed to a slower tune.

"Yes. We met at the baths."

Yongsun nodded, though Moonbyul was perplexed to see her frowning slightly.

"I see."

Moonbyul noticed that Yongsun was visibly distracted, not really paying attention to her and instead looking over her shoulder at something. And although she didn't dare turn to see what it was, she suspected that it was probably Wheein and Lady Ahn, who for some reason seemed to have gotten on Yongsun's nerves. Although she couldn't even begin to imagine what either of them could've done that would piss off a princess.

"Come." Yongsun said suddenly, tapping her left shoulder gently as she focused back onto Moonbyul. "Rest your head here."

Finding no sense in hesitation, Moonbyul immediately complied, resting her head against the front of Yongsun's shoulder and letting Yongsun guide her through the dance, now that she could no longer look down and check her footwork. Yongsun's grip was firm and possessive, cupping the back of her neck to keep her cheek pressed against her shoulder, while the hand around her waist moved underneath her jacket to press directly against her shirt, the touch warm and suggestive.

Moonbyul was well aware that often, Omegas had no qualms about being touchy with their Alphas in public, and although there was arguably nothing that Yongsun could do to her that she would refuse, she severely hoped that Yongsun wouldn't make use of this, at least not until they were out of sight of the many rich and influential Omegas that were surrounding them right now.

But the music was slow and romantic, and for the most part, Yongsun seemed to be sticking to these guidelines, not moving her hand any further under Moonbyul's clothing and using her other one to gently stroke the back of Moonbyul's head as they swayed. And Moonbyul couldn't have said otherwise than the fact that she felt undeniably safe in Yongsun's embrace, leaning in closer to her like an upset child might do with their mother. And although she was aware that she was, in doing this, perpetuating this idea of the infantilization of Alphas, she fell prey gladly, enjoying the freedom from responsibility, albeit at the expense of her autonomy.

As the last song came to a close, and night had well and truly fallen, Yongsun seemed eager to leave, and instructed Moonbyul to wait for her by the exit while she thanked the owner of the manor house for hosting the event. And Moonbyul did so diligently, clasping her hands behind her back and standing stock still against the hedgerow, trying her best not to make eye contact with anyone as they passed her.

By the time Yongsun made her way back over to her, considerably later than perhaps she had intended, Moonbyul noticed that she was shivering, her dress not really sufficient enough to combat the late night air. She hesitated for a second, wondering if such an action might be construed as her attempting to take possession of Yongsun, but her desire to help the Omega soon overrode this and she took off her jacket, offering it out to her.

"Would you... appreciate my jacket, Yongsun-ju?"

Yongsun gave her an odd sort of look, that was an increasingly familiar combination of amusement and slight distaste, but she seemed to realise that refusing the jacket, while also hugging her arms close to her chest in an effort to stay warm, would've been a quite frankly unreasonable sacrifice of common sense for pride. So instead she nodded, and took the jacket from Moonbyul's outstretched hand, pulling it on and looking down at herself with a smile.

"Can't say it's my style." she remarked, and Moonbyul chanced a smile of her own in response.

Something else seemed to draw Yongsun's eye the next instant however, and Moonbyul watched with interest as she reached over and plucked a pale pink rose from the hedgerow behind her, and then, with a small grin, tucked the flower into her hair, just above her ear.

"There. Now we're even."

Moonbyul's cheeks reddened slightly and she took hold of Yongsun's elbow dutifully and followed behind her as they finally left the gardens, intensely aware of the flower in her hair and going over and over in her mind if it meant anything. Because it was precisely because the action had been so innocuous that Moonbyul couldn't stop thinking about it. Because Omegas just didn't do simple things like that for Alphas, mated or otherwise. 

Their coach-driver was smoking when they arrived, a past-time that Moonbyul had seen people engage in before but had never done herself. Quite frankly she didn't see the appeal, as the scent of the tobacco alone, from close range, was often enough to make her eyes water and her head to swim. Thankfully he ditched the cigarette as soon as he saw them, and held open the carriage door, and Yongsun got in first, followed quickly by Moonbyul.

The ride back was just as quiet as the ride up had been, although the mood between them had definitely shifted somewhat, and Moonbyul could tell that Yongsun felt it too. The Omega was playing idly with the hem of Moonbyul's suit jacket, rubbing the material between her thumb and forefinger, before glancing back up at the flower in Moonbyul's hair with a small smile on her face.

"You were good tonight." she commented, rather offhandedly, and Moonbyul took the compliment with a slight bow of her head.

And perhaps in response to this, although perhaps not, Yongsun reached her hand over and rested it on Moonbyul's knee, just like she had done on the way there. But this time, rather than exerting pressure against it, she rubbed gentle circles with her thumb across the trouser material. Moonbyul swallowed softly, not really sure how to react, as the scent she was getting from Yongsun was not one she was at all familiar with the intricacies of. 

"My good Alpha..." she heard Yongsun mumble a few moments later, almost to herself, although the two of them were so close that Moonbyul inevitably heard it.

"Are you tired?" Yongsun asked her, after another small silence.

"Um. A little, Yongsun."

"Rest on my shoulder."

It was a command, not an invitation, and so Moonbyul complied, resting her head against Yongsun's shoulder and allowing her eyes to fall closed as Yongsun watched her, continuing all the while to rub soothing circles round and round her knee.


	7. Letter From A Queen

Hyejin lent against the front of the carriage and lifted her cigarette holder to her mouth, taking a drag and then exhaling the smoke in a cloud that danced around her Alpha, who was watching across from her. Wheein however, didn't so much as flinch, though she perhaps closed her eyes for a moment where the smoke was at it's thickest. The carriage park was all but empty, the two of them the only guests from the garden party who still remained, and by this time night had well and truly fallen, the glow of Hyejin's cigarette a focus point for Wheein's eyes.

"I see you've made friends with the princess's Alpha," Hyejin eventually remarked.

Wheein bowed her head and nodded.

"Indeed my lady."

Hyejin took in another drag, her face one of rather indifferent but still visible distaste.

"How is she?"

Wheein tilted her head to the side, considering this for a moment.

"Polite."

Hyejin rolled her eyes.

"A pushover you mean. Those facility Alphas are all the same. They have less personality than a pet tortoise, and even less backbone. Though I suppose that's what Omegas want isn't it, somebody to walk all over."

"To her credit, it's not really as if she could be anything else."

Hyejin gave Wheein a somewhat exasperated look, as if addressing a child that had just said something that was, in essence correct, but lacked any intellect or deep-thinking behind it.

"I suppose not, but you can still be subservient without being pathetic."

Wheein didn't say anything in answer to this, just crossed her arms over one another and began fiddling with the material of her jacket sleeve. Eyeing her for a moment, Hyejin stubbed her cigarette out against the side of the carriage and jerked her head towards the driver's seat, directing her Alpha.

"Come. Let's head back."

***

Despite the quite frankly overwhelming sexual tension that had been dancing between them practically the entire night, Yongsun didn't pounce on Moonbyul as soon as they made it back inside the palace, as perhaps the Alpha had been expecting. And indeed, Yongsun didn't make any move on her at all, and got into bed as soon as she had changed out of her dress, seemingly exhausted.

Rather taken aback by this change of events from what she had been expecting, but was honestly rather relieved about, Moonbyul made her way over to the floor mattress and undressed, folding all the clothes neatly and then wrapping her bare torso in the blanket that had been left out for her. Yongsun hadn't sorted any night clothes out for her, so it seemed that she would be going shirtless until further notice, which perhaps Yongsun had done on purpose. Though Moonbyul didn't mind so much, as in all honesty, she preferred sleeping in just her undershorts anyway, as an Alpha's regular body temperature was just naturally a lot higher than that of Omegas.

But it was only as she dropped her head down against the pillow, that she felt something brush against her face and she remembered the flower that Yongsun had tucked above her ear. She reached up, plucking the flower from her hair, and looked at it for a moment, before placing it down gently on the floor just next to the mattress. 

The next day, they began what would be the first of a soon to be regular routine, Moonbyul rising first and pulling on her white tunic shirt, before gently parting the curtains to let in the morning light and then proceeding to do sit-ups until Yongsun stirred into awakeness. That first morning, she didn't have much of sense of how things were going to work day to day with the two of them, and so Yongsun had caught her during her morning work-out, watching with interest for almost a full minute before Moonbyul noticed.

Immediately she pushed herself up with a strong hand, bracing against the carpet behind her, and bowed towards the princess.

"Forgive me Yongsun, I had thought you still asleep."

Yongsun, unphased by the state she had found Moonbyul in, cocked her head to the side, continuing to examine her.

"Do you do that every morning?" she asked, in that increasingly familiar way of hers in which she just cut across any previously spoken words to assert her own question. Moonbyul supposed such a thing could be taken as rude, although when speaking to an Alpha, it was fairly standard practice to ignore anything they might've happened to say.

"The exercises?" she replied, as a clarification.

Yongsun nodded and Moonbyul was quiet for a moment, wondering to herself how much she was allowed to give away about her past, now that she was under new ownership.

"I used to, back at the training facility. It was part of the daily routine."

"Were there a lot of exercises in this routine?"

"Oh yes Yongsun, often many hours a day. But when we did them as a group, they were usually called drills, not exercises."

Yongsun nodded, her previously amused expression turned serious, and she seemed perhaps almost apprehensive to ask her next question, as Moonbyul noticed the way she had started playing with the edge of the duvet.

"Are you allowed to talk about the training facility now that you no longer live there?"

Moonbyul visibly hesitated, as she wasn't at all certain in how she was supposed to answer.

"I... couldn't say for sure."

"Hmm." Yongsun murmured, nodding slowly.

Standing up, she approached Moonbyul, wearing only her nightdress, and took gentle hold of her shoulders, staring into her eyes as her hands caressed the firm muscle. And very slowly, a small smile worked it's way onto her face. 

"Well at least I know now where you got all your muscles from."

Moonbyul tried her hardest not to turn red, although she wasn't at all sure if she had managed to do so or not.

"It's... only expected, of an Alpha."

"Well don't feel obliged to stop on my account. Whenever I don't have need of you, please feel free to engage in any such exercise you wish."

"Yes Yongsun, thank you."

"Carry on with your sit ups now, while I go for a bath."

So Moonbyul did just that, until her back ached and her abdomen was tight and strained from having tensed her muscles for so long. At this point she allowed herself a cool down, washing her face in the small water bowl that Yongsun had on her dresser for use in the morning and then pulling on her trousers and changing her shirt, as her tunic had been considerably dampened with sweat. And she was just beginning to tease the knots out of her hair with her wooden comb when Yongsun returned, wet hair, simple chemise dress and gorgeously fragrant scent and all.

Up until now, Moonbyul hadn't really taken much interest in Yongsun's scent, scenting being an unnecessary action for any Alpha to undertake. But over these past few days, she had grown accustomed to it, and it's beautiful floral undertones, much like that of her matching dresses. And she had started to be able to detect subtle differences in mood from it, as well as establish what her scent was like normally.

Right now it was at this base-line scent, barely detectable unless you were reasonably close to her, and transmitting a calm, warming feeling to the centre of Moonbyul's chest. This scent, she had decided, was her favourite, as it meant there was the least likelihood that she would be expected to do something she was unsure about.

Much like she had the other day, Yongsun got Moonbyul to rest her head on her knee as her hair dried, flicking through the same book with one hand and stroking her Alpha's hair with the other. Moonbyul was starting to notice a pattern in the way Yongsun stroked her hair, digging in firmly to the roots near the top before then gently teasing her fingers through the strands and down, before lifting her hand up and starting again. And Moonbyul could've purred from the feeling, if she hadn't actively restrained herself from doing so.

Too soon though it was over, and Moonbyul was mourning the loss of the feeling of Yongsun's hand in her hair, as the Omega stood up and approached her wardrobe to pick out a dress to wear for that day. Moonbyul was still wearing the plain white shirt and trousers she had changed into, and quite inconsequentially wondered to herself what it would be like to wear a dress.

"Help me with my dress?"

Moonbyul nodded and stood up to do up the dress, a deep fuchsia pink one this time with white lily flowers embroidered on. Moonbyul was perpetually surprised by the amount of floral dresses Yongsun seemed to own, and yet no matter what colour or style it was, every single one always looked flawless on her. Though perhaps that was partly down just to the charm and grace of the princess wearing them.

She tied the lacing at the back efficiently, making sure that it was pulled together securely to cover the chemise, and trying desperately not to brush her fingers across the skin of Yongsun's neck. For although she was sure Yongsun wouldn't mind, or perhaps wouldn't even notice, it was possible that such a gesture could be interpreted the wrong way at the hand of an Alpha.

Once done with the dress, she stepped back and bowed her head, as Yongsun sat down at her mirror and fixed her hair, keeping the waves in place with a beautiful gold hair clasp, which perhaps didn't go so well with her blonde hair but matched very well with the pink of her dress. Once done with her hair, Yongsun considered Moonbyul for a moment before letting a small smile cross her face.

"Come. We have some time before breakfast and I want to get you some new clothes."

"Should I put on my boots?"

Yongsun shook her head.

"Later. We're not going outside yet."

Moonbyul nodded and followed Yongsun out of her bedroom, flexing her toes slightly against the lush carpet as they walked. It was true that she had noticed that most people, when inside the palace, went barefoot, or else wore a slipper-like shoe, as Yongsun currently was. Although during formal events, everyone had been fully suited and booted, and Moonbyul hadn't had much opportunity to experience palace life in an informal setting yet.

They made their way down to the ground floor, Moonbyul following subserviently behind Yongsun for the view of anyone that might pass them, and eventually came out into a large storage room, full of several shelves of neatly packed boxes. Turning to face Moonbyul, Yongsun tilted her head to the side, examining her.

"What size would you say you are?"

Moonbyul dropped her gaze to the floor.

"I confess, I am not familiar with the formal clothing sizes."

Yongsun smiled coyly at her and then insisted that Moonbyul try on various shirts for sizing, eventually ascertaining the correct one and then beginning the search for her favourite colours and styles. Her suit from the choosing-dance, wedding and the garden party had all been kept as best, so Yongsun was focusing rather more on the everyday. And soon enough, Moonbyul was kitted out with an adequate array of simple shirts, tunics and trousers, as well as one or two more military jackets, as Yongsun had confessed to her on their way back upstairs that she really rather liked the army look.

"Wear the blue shirt." she answered, when Moonbyul asked her what she should wear for today. "It goes good with pink."

Breakfast was simple, just the two of them, and like much of the time they spent together, it was conducted in silence, Yongsun just taking the opportunity to watch Moonbyul as if she were the most interesting thing she had ever seen.

Yongsun then began her day of duties, attending various meetings, lessons and engaging in many hours of personal work and the honing of various crafts expected of a princess. Moonbyul was interested to begin with at being able to observe the intricate ins and outs of Yongsun's life, and was pleased to be there as a comfort for the princess when she wanted to feel her close. But as the days passed of much the same routine, she did begin to tire of it slightly, although now that she been given a pass for her exercises, it was at least tolerable, and still a vast improvement on life at the facility.

It was during one day though, when alone in the palace libraries, that something finally changed. Moonbyul had been sitting on the floor by one of the bookshelves, looking through a picture handbook on how to be a good Alpha, which Yongsun had handed to her with an air of amusement but which she had taken very seriously. She couldn't understand the words, having never been taught to read or write, but the pictures often spoke well enough themselves for the message they were trying to convey.

Yongsun herself was supposed to be sat at one of the desks, having first procured some ancient text from the recesses of the library to study, but Moonbyul had noticed during small furtive glances, that she looked a little distracted, and she consistently caught her staring absentmindedly out of the large window on the wall across from the door.

"Alpha."

Moonbyul looked up at Yongsun's address but noticed that the Omega wasn't actually facing her, and was instead now sitting on the windowsill, and staring out onto the central courtyard through the large window. Yongsun then made a small gesture with her hand, although it was in a distracted sort of way.

"Come here."

Placing her book down on the floor and standing dutifully, Moonbyul made her way over to Yongsun and finally the Omega gave her a half-glance, before turning back to the window, pointing.

"You see those workers down there?"

Moonbyul followed Yongsun's gaze out of the window and nodded.

"They're preparing to repave the central courtyard, and I've heard that it can be pretty difficult work hauling all that stuff over there. And I've been feeling recently as if your time might be better occupied elsewhere during these meetings of mine. So why don't you go and help them out, a compliment of the princess?"

Moonbyul bowed her head.

"As you wish."

A small smile creeped onto Yongsun's face.

"I expect a glowing report."

Failing to pick up on the nuance in Yongsun's tone, Moonbyul answered completely seriously.

"Then I only hope I can provide you as such."

Leaning back against the window frame, Yongsun considered her for a moment, an amused expression on her face.

"Perhaps if you do well here, I shall enlist your help more regularly when there is manual labour to perform. It just seems a shame to waste such apt physicality, especially during times when I have no significant need of you. And father does seem to insist on hiring only Betas as servants, for what purpose I couldn't say. They could benefit from a little Alpha muscle."

"I will do exactly as you request of me Yongsun."

Yongsun nodded, and turned back to the window, watching the workers for a little while longer before she spoke again.

"Go then. I shall seek you out when I have need you again."

Bowing her head, Moonbyul retreated from the room to go and offer her services to the workers outside, and Yongsun, with a short pause to collect her thoughts, finally returned to the desk, and began reading the ancient tome once more.

***

Despite having dispatched Moonbyul to work by entirely her own violation, it had scarcely taken a few hours of her own duties without the Alpha by her side to drive Yongsun to frank irritation. For as much as she had pitied the Alpha's lack of action and had wanted to provide her with at least some sort of diversion to keep her occupied, she herself was sorely missing Moonbyul's presence, and was almost at the point of just getting up and summoning the Alpha back to her.

"Yongsun, you are losing focus."

Shaking her head, she turned back to the book they were working their way through.

"Sorry appa."

"I know it is tedious work Yongsun, but entirely necessary to prepare you for the next stages of royal life. Now that you have an Alpha in your service, a pup should not be too far in your future. And you'll wish then that you'd payed attention to me now."

Yongsun sighed, but nodded.

"Yes appa, I understand."

They continued on, her father tutoring her in the ways of the court by accordance to official texts, as he had done during every one of their sessions previously, until there was a curt knock on the door and her father paused to answer.

"Enter!" 

The door opened, and Yongsun saw that it was one of the manservants, by name of Yeonho, who had something in his hand. Bowing his head respectfully, he made his way over to them and held the item out to Yongsun.

"Letter for you, your Majesty."

"Oh, thank you Yeonho."

Taking the letter from the man-servant's hand, Yongsun acknowledged him with a nod as he bowed and retreated from the room, leaving her and her father alone once more. Taking another sip of his tea, the King looked at the letter with great interest, as it had come in the form of a rolled up parchment, tied and sealed with a white ribbon and a red wax seal.

"Haven't seen one of those for a while." he remarked.

Rather intrigued as to what such a letter could be about, Yongsun broke the seal and undid the ribbon, unfurling the parchment roll and beginning to read. And almost immediately her eyebrows raised up in surprise at what she was confronted with.

"May I ask after the reason for your surprise, my daughter?"

"It's from the court of Her Royal Highness, Queen Sunghee."

"Goodness. I haven't had contact with her for a number of years. As I remember it, her kingdom is rather far away in the mountains. I seem to recall it being rather a trial to travel there, especially in winter, hence the lack of contact. Whatever does she want?"

Yongsun read on a bit first in silence, before she cleared her throat to start reading aloud.

"For the consideration of the right honourable, Princess Yongsun of Ihaengyeo. Upon hearing of the greatly agreeable news of your marriage to an Alpha, we would like to cordially invite you to this year's annual Spring Festival, and request with your permission, the participation of your Alpha in the Claimant Tournament. We hope to receive word of your reply soon."

A large smile came onto the King's face, something which Yongsun hadn't seen for ever so long, and which both surprised and cheered her.

"Oh how wonderful, the Spring Festival."

"Whatever is this Claimant Tournament though?" Yongsun asked him.

"Oh it's a trivial thing really, more just a chance for everyone to show off their Alphas. A 'look at what I've got' sort of thing. But the catch is that whoever's Alpha wins the tournament, earns the honour of hosting the festival next year."

Yongsun nodded to show that she understood, and began to smile herself, the happy expression itself rather infectious.

"Interesting. Would you be open to hosting it next year?"

The King's smile turned, on the dime, into something more like a smirk.

"You have faith in your Alpha I see."

"Well I'm not saying that. Only wondering after the possibility."

"By all means, if you do happen to make it back victorious, then of course I shall host next year's festival. In fact, I can hardly remember the last time our kingdom hosted it."

Yongsun frowned as a slight misty look entered his eyes.

"Appa? What's wrong?"

"Oh... nothing my dear. Just... I remember my first Spring Festival."

Another rare smile came onto his face and Yongsun couldn't help but feel glad that something was finally making him happy.

"Your father couldn't have been more excited. Jumping around like a puppy he was. We didn't end up winning the tournament but he sure had fun trying."

Yongsun turned away from her father for a moment, mumbling her next words.

"You don't talk about dad much."

Immediately the smile faded from his face, and Yongsun bit her tongue, cursing herself from mentioning it at all.

"Well. There's not much to say."

An awkward pause exceeded this, and Yongsun found her gaze drawn to the suddenly rather interesting carpet. Her father spoke rarely of his Alpha, a man that she had never gotten the chance to meet, and it was often that he receded into one of his depressions whenever he did, so Yongsun was hesitant to ever bring the topic up. But her father soon seemed to sense her awkwardness, and smiled sadly at her, squeezing her arm with a gentle hand.

"Go. Tell your Alpha."

Yongsun beamed and lent over to kiss her father on the cheek, before picking the letter back up from the table-top and hurrying out of the room.

***

Moonbyul grunted softly with effort as she straightened up with the next load of paving slabs in her arms, the rough edges scraping slightly against the skin on the inside of her wrists. She hadn't been provided with gloves, and she had rather of tied herself up for whipping than ask after some, but it was only a mild discomfort and easily tolerable.

The work was hard and in a setting she was far from used to, but she had done her fair share of carrying heavy objects back at the training facility and was certainly no stranger to having an aching back and shoulders. And in actual fact, she was rather enjoying herself, having some actual work to be getting on with. For as much as she liked being around Yongsun, it had gotten relatively tedious on occasion, just sitting by her side in placid silence, a trophy Alpha for the princess.

"Over there Alpha, keep it going."

Moonbyul nodded, following the directions of the Beta she presumed was the head construction worker, as he was more or less ordering people about rather than doing much of the actual work himself. The Betas had been a little hesitant at first about working with her, but upon her rather timid explanation that she was here on the request of Princess Yongsun, they had quickly given her jobs to do, albeit be almost entirely fetching and carrying. But Moonbyul didn't mind the heavy lifting work, as it allowed her more opportunity to work alone, and to not have to constantly tread on eggshells trying to cooperate with those above her social status.

Currently she had been tasked with carrying and stacking the paving slabs by hand, lifting three or four at a time, and her shoulders had been growing increasingly stiff from the repetitive strain. And so, despite her enjoyment of the work, it was quite the relief to her when, no sooner as she had placed down the latest pile of paving slabs, was her work interrupted by the familiar and, as Moonbyul had started to think, quite enchanting voice of the princess. 

"Alpha!"

Moonbyul looked up sharply at the sound of Yongsun's voice, and was surprised to see her running out to the courtyard alone, a piece of rolled up parchment clutched in her hand. Immediately, the small group of workers in the courtyard dropped to one knee, bowing before Yongsun, and Moonbyul quickly followed suit.

"Your majesty?" she asked, as Yongsun stopped just in front of her.

Yongsun smiled, resting a hand gently on her shoulder.

"Come, you are retired of your duties here."

Moonbyul nodded and straightened up, following the rather unusually energetic form of the princess back inside the palace. They walked in silence for a little while, Moonbyul having to hasten slightly to keep up with Yongsun's bouncy steps, before the Alpha lost her nerve and felt she had to ask Yongsun what she had called her in for.

"What is it Yongsun?"

Yongsun turned to her with a smile and held up the piece of rolled up parchment.

"I've just received an invitation to the annual Spring Festival this April. You've heard of it?"

Moonbyul tipped her head to the side slightly.

"In passing."

"Well, I have decided to accept the invitation, and you are to accompany me. There is just one condition for your attendance."

"Yes, Yongsun?"

"It is expected for the Alpha of those Omegas that attend to participate in the Claimant Tournament. Will you do that for me?"

And Moonbyul nodded immediately, despite having absolutely no idea what such a tournament would entail. For really, when it came down to it, it didn't matter what she would have to do. For whatever it was, she would do it for Yongsun.

"Of course. I will do anything you wish of me Yongsun."

And the smile that Yongsun gave her, Moonbyul couldn't help but feel, could've replaced the sun in the sky with the warmth and light that was behind it.

"Excellent. We can start packing at once then. But first..."

She trailed off, eyeing the considerable amount of dust and mud that Moonbyul had gotten herself covered in while helping out the construction workers.

"You head down to the baths, and meet me back upstairs, okay?"

"Yes Yongsun."


	8. Polarity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can only apologise for the delay in updating, thank you for waiting so patiently for me :)

Much to Moonbyul's surprise, Yongsun was waiting outside of the baths for her, looking more impatient and excitable than Moonbyul had ever seen her before. For up until now, Yongsun had more or less retained the appearance of the ever passive and quietly confident princess, and not letting it be seen that she was anything otherwise. But upon invitation to the Spring Festival, an abrupt change seemed to have overtaken her, and she was now dragging Moonbyul after her like a child at a fairground. 

"So I asked the coach-driver how long it would take to get to Spring Festival. And he reckons it might take four or five days, even by carriage, so I've planned for us to leave on the 26th. That gives us five days to send word ahead of our arrival and prepare to leave."

Moonbyul nodded to show that she was listening, as Yongsun continued to guide her along the corridor by the hand.

"I see."

Yongsun gave her an amused sort of look, her eyes narrowing slightly with intrigue. 

"Tell me, what do you know of the Spring Festival?"

"Not much. I've only heard stories."

"Well it's the most important festival of the year for one, and people from all of the kingdoms come to watch and participate. The most important people in the country meet at this festival every year, which is a great incentive not to start a war, as you'd be starting a lot of trouble. It's a honour to be invited personally."

"Indeed." Moonbyul replied, rather incredulously. 

"And as I mentioned before, one of the traditions of the festival is the Claimant Tournament, where all the Alphas of the nobility compete to earn the right for their Omegas to host next year's festival in their kingdom. I confess, I don't know exactly what the tournament involves, but you can probably be assured that you'll need to do some fighting."

Yongsun must've noticed the change in Moonbyul's expression, even if it was only very slight, as she questioned her almost immediately. 

"What's wrong?"

Moonbyul hesitated for a moment before replying.

"We were taught at the facility not to be aggressive. Fighting was discouraged heavily."

Yongsun raised her eyebrows in evident surprise.

"What about during the choosing? You won that fight."

Moonbyul gave a small shrug.

"Beginner's luck I suppose."

Yongsun was quiet for a moment, looking as if she wanted to continue the conversation, but she ended up dropping it, readjusting her grip on Moonbyul's hand to be firmer and more secure. Moonbyul wasn't exactly sure where Yongsun was taking her, but it wasn't as if she was going to question her, and so she just followed, letting Yongsun take the lead both in walking and in conversation.

"Now I know we just got you some new clothes the other day, but this is the Spring Festival, so we require something more extravagant." Yongsun paused for a moment, then grinned. "You're gonna be my warrior Alpha."

Moonbyul gave her an uncertain look, but nodded obligingly, and Yongsun was polite enough not to probe her about it.

"Now tell me, what's the colour of spring?"

Moonbyul paused for a moment, slightly taken off guard by such a question, before she attempted to venture an answer.

"Green?"

Yongsun smiled and nodded, pointing at her.

"Yes. Green."

They walked for another few seconds in silence before Yongsun saw fit to continue.

"I've seen spring celebrations before, although never the likes of the Spring Festival, and assure you me, there's going to be a lot of green there. So we'll be needing to run you up something special in just such a colour for this. Something befitting for the champion of a princess."

Moonbyul noted the hint of pride in Yongsun's voice, and watched as her eyes glinted with the imagination of the upcoming event. For as much as she liked to think that Yongsun enjoyed keeping her around for her own sake, it was a sad reality that Alphas were very much performative for Omegas, when not serving their primary purpose of enablers for reproduction.

"Are you to wear green also?" she asked, not thinking to hold her tongue and just stay quiet.

"I daresay I shan't let us be seen by such nobility if we don't at least match in our attire." Yongsun replied, eager enough to indulge in more conversation.

Moonbyul paused, wondering if she should risk pushing a few boundaries, seeing as Yongsun seemed to be in such a forgiving mood.

"Do you like green Yongsun?"

Yongsun thought about this for a moment, thankfully not looking annoyed that Moonbyul had asked another question of her, and she answered first with a shrug.

"I prefer blue. But green is close enough."

Moonbyul nodded considerately, and Yongsun tilted her head to the side, the corner of her mouth curling into a smile as she watched the Alpha.

"What's your favourite colour?" she eventually asked.

Moonbyul went silent for a moment, and in time a frown worked it's way onto her face. For she wasn't at all sure if she could even give a reply to this question, not least in the fact that she didn't really have an answer for Yongsun.

"I don't know Yongsun. I've never really thought about it."

Yongsun looked mildly surprised, but her expression hastily turned into one of curious amusement. 

"Well then. There's sure to be every colour you can possibly think of on display at this festival. So how about you spend a little time thinking about it, and next time I ask you, you'll have an answer?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"As you wish Yongsun."

Yongsun looked at her closely for another long moment, before she turned away, a slightly sad expression on her face.

"Did you not ever think about little things like that?

Moonbyul shook her head.

"There wasn't much time nor cause Yongsun."

Yongsun hummed slightly by way of an answer, before leading her one once more, and proceeding to climb a staircase to the upper floors of the palace. As it turned out, Yongsun had been leading the two of them back up to her room, for what purpose Moonbyul wasn't sure. Standing by the door, Moonbyul watched her as she began searching through the dresser and eventually held a thin undershirt out towards her. Feeling a little confused, Moonbyul thought it necessary to risk a question.

"What's that for?"

Yongsun rolled her eyes.

"To get changed of course."

Moonbyul raised an eyebrow and bit her lip, somewhat uncertainly.

"Shouldn't we be... somewhere else?"

Yongsun shook her head, as if at a child.

"You had the suit fitting before right? This is just the same. So com'n, let's be having you."

So Moonbyul obediently stepped out of her trousers and then pulled her shirt over her head, and allowed Yongsun's eyes to rove over her chest as she reached for the undershirt. The fabric was close fitting, and almost sheer enough to show off practically every muscle on her torso, although thankfully a few extra layers had been sewn into the chest area to provide at least an ounce of modesty for the female Alpha. Across from her, Yongsun was regarding her with a look not unlike one she had seen often on her face before, although it wasn't entirely objectifying.

"Let's put your hair up." Yongsun remarked next, moving over to her dressing table to pick up a few hair pins. "It'll be easier to do it now."

Moonbyul nodded and followed Yongsun's slight downward motion that she made with her hand, and knelt against the carpet in front of her, and let the princess pin up her hair. It took quite a while, as her hair was still damp from her visit to the baths, but eventually Yongsun had fastened it to her satisfaction, and took a step back to admire her handiwork. 

"Good enough."

Gesturing with her hand, Yongsun turned on her heel and left the bedroom once more, and Moonbyul scrambled to follow her, making a conscious effort not to shrink into herself, although her current state of undress was making her feel overwhelmingly exposed. Thankfully, they didn't pass many people on the way down to wherever they were going, but whenever they did, Moonbyul had to fight the burn of shame that seemed adamant on rising onto her face, at the gaze that was surely tracking her.

The fitting room they found themselves in next was different to the one she had been in for the suit photographs. It was subtly lit up, more richly decorated and most of all, much more closed off. To Moonbyul, it actually felt like a room in which one could dress in relative private, unlike the performative stage that had been the previous one. And she was glad of it, for something about now being mated made the whole ordeal of undressing in front of others take on a whole other level of self-consideration.

There were two maidservants to help them, one of which, the taller of the two, Moonbyul caught Yongsun using the first name of, Yein. Watching them, in the way that one did, out of the corner of their eye, when they were pretending not to be watching someone, Moonbyul wondered after the relationship between Omega and Beta servant, and how it different from that of the Alpha. For Alphas were servants undoubtedly, to all Omegas, be they directly in charge of them or otherwise. But there was a comfort in the way that Yongsun seemed to interact with the servants, a rapport which she herself was not afforded, and she couldn't help but wonder longingly what even such a simple thing as that might feel like.

"Is this for the Spring Festival your majesty?"

"Indeed it is. It's my first year so I feel it necessary to make an impression."

"Well let's make that happen then, shall we."

Much like the suit fitting, Moonbyul was instructed to try on many combinations of base outfits, although this process far extended the previous in it's intensity, as here they weren't just choosing a pre-made outfit, but rather were laying out the component parts in order to make one. And the standing and displaying oneself to three critically discerning eyes soon began to exhaust Moonbyul, though she daren't show even an ounce of this visibly, either in her face or in her body language.

Much like Yongsun had said earlier, Moonbyul noticed that they definitely seemed to be going for an appearance much like a warrior, although more one that you might hear about in ancient stories, rather than any accurate representation of a soldier today. For Moonbyul had seen soldiers before, in the rare times when they marched through the city, on their way to one war or another. And such Alphas, as most of the foot-soldiers were, were tired and pale, slumped, with a dead look in their eyes and by no means an impressive sight.

Green was also featuring overwhelmingly heavily in the fitting, and Moonbyul could safely say that she never could've imagined that a single colour could come in so many forms. After all, anything to do with fashion and image couldn't have been further out of her jurisdiction to have an opinion on. And it fascinated, if also slightly bored her after a while, to listen to the discussions that Yongsun seemed competently able to hold for hours on the exact fabrics to use, and which techniques to instil upon them to best give the appearance that she wanted.

"And what of the trousers your majesty?" Yein asked, at one point that Moonbyul couldn't have given a time to. "Is there anything you'd like us to do to them?"

With that imperceptible ability of hers to pick up on slight nuances in tone and behaviour, that she had picked up from the years of listening and watching silently and submissively, Moonbyul noticed something different in the way that Yein asked this question. Glancing up at the maidservant, she narrowed her eyes slightly, suspiciously, before she realised that Yongsun was looking directly at her. And Yongsun must've caught the look in her eyes before the Alpha could effectively disguise it, as she smiled slightly to herself and turned her head away, closing her eyes for a moment.

"It is often so that some Omegas like to extenuate certain parts of their Alphas for presentation, but I have always thought it to be rather crude. After all, if one feels that they must defend the virality of their Alpha, than arguably it could be said that it is not up to much at all."

Moonbyul's face visibly coloured as she caught sight the maidservants' secretive smiles at Yongsun's comment, and she hastily averted her gaze to the floor.

"Indeed your majesty."

Yongsun smiled, wider this time, as if reliving a private joke in her head, and used her thumb and forefinger to tilt Moonbyul's chin upwards. And Moonbyul watched at her with wide eyes as she fixed her with a knowing look and lowered her voice, perhaps in an attempt to keep her comments from the ears of the maidservants, although Moonbyul thought it likely that they could still hear.

"As if I'd ever need you to compensate for anything. You're my _perfect_ Alpha."

Moonbyul swallowed softly, noting the slight change in Yongsun's scent and feeling uncomfortable over the fact that the maidservants probably could too. But dutiful as she was, she retained eye contact and eventually Yongsun let her chin drop, stepping back from her and letting the maidservants continue with their work.

And eventually, in what must've been hours since they first started, as Moonbyul's entire body was aching from the effort of standing for so long, Yongsun allowed her to relax and step down from the dressing stool. Resting a gentle hand on her shoulder, she mumbled for her to wait outside while she talked to the maidservants alone for a moment. Glad enough of any excuse to leave the fitting room, Moonbyul did as she was told and left hastily, moving to stand outside the door and leaning rather informally against the wall.

Yongsun was quite a while in private conversation with the maidservants, and Moonbyul couldn't help but let her thoughts wander, and not stand completely still and intent in focus like she was arguably supposed to. And it was as such that she found her gaze drawn to a painting hanging on the wall of the corridor. It was a traditional water colour scene, not like most of the portraits she had seen around the palace, which favoured a more European oil painting style. It depicted great mountains, roaring waterfalls, and delicately coloured, brush-stroked trees, all shrouded in white mist so as to appear lost in the clouds. Several characters had been printed up the side, but these looked somehow different to Korean. Chinese perhaps, or maybe Japanese, though Moonbyul would be hard pressed to tell the difference.

And it was then that she found herself thinking about what Yongsun had said, about favourite colours. This painting in particular rather lacked colour, using mainly washed out pastels, but she tried valiantly all the same, considering them all and trying to figure out if she had a preference or not. 

"See that it's finished by the 25th at the latest."

The sound of Yongsun's voice through the now open door startled Moonbyul, and she immediately dragged her eyes away from the painting, standing to attention, her hands clasping firmly together behind her back. Yongsun hadn't turned to face her yet (stay thankful for small mercies) and so hadn't caught her blunder, and Moonbyul just heard Yein's reply as she fumbled to regain her composure.

"Of course your majesty."

Yongsun nodded and then shut the door behind her, approaching Moonbyul not with a smile, but not with a frown either. She passed her with a sort of half-glance, and Moonbyul hesitated for a moment, wondering if she wanted her to follow, when she beckoned behind her with a single finger, and Moonbyul hastened to catch up to her.

"I would say fitting sessions were tiresome, if they weren't such a gracious relief from all the study and paperwork a princess is expected to get through day by day. Naive of me to assume that no longer being a child would save me from all that."

Moonbyul was intrigued by this statement, and chanced another question.

"Did you go to school when you were younger Yongsun?"

"Not school as such, but I had a tutor up until I was fourteen."

She turned to look at her for a moment before speaking again.

"Why? Did you go to school before the facility?"

"Oh no Yongsun, my parents couldn't afford it. And there aren't many schools that would accept Alphas of my background anyway."

"So you can't read or write?" Yongsun questioned.

Moonbyul lowered her head slightly, as if embarrassed.

"No Yongsun."

Yongsun's expression didn't really change, even as she slowed down to look at her more closely, and Moonbyul couldn't tell if it was sympathy in her eyes or some other emotion entirely. But Yongsun soon turned and set off again, at a brisker pace than before.

"Come. Lets have some food."

***

"Yongsunnie!"

Moonbyul's ears pricked up as a voice, undoubtedly that of a high-class Omega, called after the two of them, and Yongsun turned in response to it. And in the second that she allowed herself to look, before she bowed her head submissively, Moonbyul saw that it was the woman they had met at the garden party, Wheein's Omega, Lady Ahn. Remembering how their interaction had gone last time, Moonbyul was adamant to avoid eye contact this time, and not even allow the possibility of an incident.

"Hyejin. What's the matter with you?" Yongsun asked, as the older Omega ran up to her.

"You received an invitation to the Spring Festival this morning did you not?"

Yongsun raised an eyebrow, a curious smile on her face.

"I did indeed. However did you know?"

Hyejin gave her a knowing look, one so brazen and mysterious, Yongsun could almost imagine her tapping the side of her nose and winking, as if she had the answer to the best kept secret in all the universe.

"Because I received one also."

Yongsun's expression cleared with understanding.

"Oh of course, all the top nobility in the country. I should've known that would include you. Has anyone else received an invitation?"

"It seems not, for I haven't heard as such. And you know how fast gossip travels."

Yongsun nodded in that relating way that best friends often seemed to have with one another.

"Father will be glad at least, that I'm not travelling unaccompanied."

There was a slight pause after this, where Hyejin's gaze shifted to Moonbyul, as if for the first time, and she chose her next words carefully.

"Your Alpha would be coming."

It had the desired effect, causing Moonbyul to raise her head if just for a moment, only to hastily look away when she caught Hyejin's eye.

"Well yes, of course. But travelling with those under your charge is a given. Your presence will be that of a true companion."

Hyejin noticed the slight twitch in Moonbyul's face as Yongsun said this, and she couldn't help but grin. For there was a particular joy certainly, in belittling Alphas, but not perhaps for the reason that most Omegas enjoyed it. For Hyejin, the real delight came in the rise, the bait, the antagonization. For kicking an Alpha when they were down was fun for sure, but it was only ever more fun to hurt them while they were still standing. 

As for Moonbyul herself, she found herself staring back at Hyejin, and not averting her gaze like she usually would with any other Omega or Beta. As, for some reason, Hyejin captured her attention, and not in a good way. She had felt at odds before around the Omega, but she had put it down to nerves at being around so many influential nobles at the garden party. But now, when in isolation with just her and Yongsun, she wasn't so sure. As the feeling of unease was still there, and only bolstered by the way Yongsun seemed to completely ignore her presence whenever she was around, rather than her usual slight dismissal.

Though speaking of, it seemed Yongsun had noticed the way the two of them were looking at each other, and Moonbyul caught the way her shoulders tensed slightly, as she moved her gaze from Hyejin onto her. And with a move she might not ever have dared to do in other circumstances, Moonbyul took a step closer to the princess, closing in on her shoulder, as if trying to prove her subservience, and her trust that Yongsun would protect her. 

Yongsun noticed this and gave her a steady look, that was somehow both approving and disapproving at the same time, before she turned back to Hyejin and offered her a smile.

"Forgive me but it is getting rather late. We should be heading to bed."

Hyejin inclined her head.

"Of course."

Sparing no more time for pleasantries, Yongsun moved on past the other Omega, but Moonbyul stayed for a moment, pinned in place by Hyejin's amused gaze and feeling a great sense of jealously rise up in her chest, for no particular reason that she could name. But before she had a chance to do anything more, Yongsun called sharply over her shoulder.

"Come Alpha!"

Casting one last glance back at Hyejin, who smiled and raised her hand, twitching her fingers by way of a goodbye, Moonbyul turned away and hurried after Yongsun, hoping against hope that how she'd just behaved hadn't made her too annoyed.

***

However, hope, it seemed, was a pointless exercise.

Ever since the encounter with Hyejin, Yongsun had been more distant. And not just in the dismissive way that she usually was, but properly distant, interacting with her as little as possible and ordering her about in the way that Moonbyul would've expected from most Omegas, but somehow seemed grossly out of character when coming from Yongsun.

Tonight would be their last night in the palace for a while, as they were leaving for the festival tomorrow morning, and Moonbyul was almost looking forward to the opportunity to prove herself to Yongsun again, as it certainly seemed as if she had fallen out of favour recently. Yongsun too had been on edge most of the evening, and Moonbyul wondered whether the thought of attending such a prestigious event was worrying her more than she was perhaps letting on.

Seeing her begin to get changed into a simple white dress, Moonbyul averted her gaze and stayed focused on the carpet, drawing her knees up closer to her chin and toying absentmindedly with the end of her trouser leg, looking for all the world like a child waiting obediently for the orders of their mother. 

"I'm going for a bath." Yongsun said, bringing Moonbyul's head upwards. "Stay here."

Moonbyul nodded, although Yongsun didn't notice this as she left the room without looking back at Moonbyul. Sighing, Moonbyul looked back down at the carpet, her temperament that of one rather melancholic. For she really couldn't understand why she was feeling like this. Back at the facility, her greatest fear had been that, once mated to an Omega, she would be at their mercy any and all hours of the day. And she had expected to long for freedom and solitary. But now that it was happening, that she was now being relatively ignored by her Omega, the feeling that instilled itself in her chest was of a horrible pang, a desperation to be appreciated, noticed, even just acknowledged.

Rubbing the side of her head with the heel of her hand, Moonbyul decided to get a few exercises in while she waited for Yongsun to come back, if at least to distract herself from thinking too intensely about her relationship with the princess. For a lesson she had insisted upon herself to remember, was that there was no point dwelling on things she couldn't change. And she'd sooner get blood from a stone than change the will of an Omega princess.

She began doing sit-ups, closing her eyes and channelling her thoughts to focus only on the repetitive and satisfyingly uncomfortable movement, quite so that she lost track of time entirely, and was only broken out of her monotony by the sound of Yongsun's voice.

"You can stop that now Alpha."

At the command, Moonbyul dropped heavily onto her back, releasing her last sit-up and allowing herself to relax her body for a moment. Then, levering herself up with her left hand, Moonbyul sat cross-legged on the carpet and watched Yongsun undo the braid across the back of her hair, letting her wet hair fall loose and then running her fingers through it to comb out any potential knots.

"We're not going to be able to be alone as much." Yongsun commented quite suddenly. "During this festival I mean."

Unsure what Yongsun was trying to get at by saying this, but detecting some nuance in her voice, Moonbyul played it safe and decided to just agree with her.

"I suppose not."

At her reply, Yongsun looked over her shoulder and fixed her with a hard stare.

"My heat shouldn't come when we're there."

Again, Moonbyul caught an insinuation, but was unsure how to pursue it.

"That's good, right?"

Yongsun smirked, a little dismissively, but not unkindly.

"Well I'd rather not have to take you in a tent in the middle of a festival ground full of the most powerful Omegas in the country, so yes. It's a good thing."

Having no reply to this, Moonbyul didn't say anything, and just watched as Yongsun got up from in front of the mirror and went to sit on the bed, still in her dress. Rubbing the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, Yongsun patted the bed next to her. 

"Alpha, come here."

Hopping up quickly, Moonbyul made her way over to Yongsun and sat across from her. And even though she had noticed that Yongsun had been behaving increasingly impatiently ever since dinner, she hadn't really know why until Yongsun bunched up the front of her shirt in her hand and pulled her close enough to kiss her. And although it really shouldn't have been, the kiss was a surprise to Moonbyul, as it was so counteractive to the way Yongsun had been treating her these last few days that it took her a few moments to kiss Yongsun back.

Immediately upon her response, Yongsun kissed her harder, her left hand wrapping securely around the side of her neck while the other tangled into her hair. Moonbyul was used to Yongsun's roughness by now, and almost welcomed the manhandling, relieved by just the fact that Yongsun even wanted to touch her. For she would've been lying if she had said that she hadn't missed the moments of contact between her and princess, however fleeting and unfeeling they might be.

"I almost forgot what it was like kissing you." Yongsun mumbled against her mouth, kissing her again before pulling away. "It's such a shame that it's frowned upon in public. I've never understood it really, but I suppose it has it's basis in tradition, as do most things."

Moonbyul hesitated, before venturing a question.

"Couldn't you... do it anyway?"

Yongsun gave her an amused look, though her expression was barely discernible in the half-light coming in through the window.

"I suppose I could. But one must keep up appearances as the princess."

Moonbyul was surprised by this answer, as such a thought hadn't occurred to her before. She had just assumed, as an Omega and a princess, that Yongsun was allowed to whatever she wanted, with no question or judgement. She hadn't thought that maybe there were things that wouldn't be appropriate or seemly for a princess to engage in, and that perhaps Yongsun wasn't as free of consequence as she had thought she was.

Yongsun however, appeared not to be so stuck on such musings as she was, as she had begun kissing her again, only dragging Moonbyul out of her thoughts when the kisses became rougher and more insistent. Reaching down, she began palming Moonbyul through her trousers, causing the Alpha to make a small noise against her mouth, her hips stuttering slightly. Pushing against her shoulder with her other hand, Yongsun shifted on top of Moonbyul, pressing their bodies together and grinding softly against her as she kissed her harder still, and more forcefully than before. 

"You're such a good Alpha..." she mumbled, as she moved down to press kisses to her jaw. "Getting hard for me already."

Moonbyul nodded in agreement, her breathing a little unsteady.

"Only for you Yongsun."

Hearing these words, Yongsun immediately rose to the challenge, pressing her teeth down slightly onto the now partially healed bite mark on Moonbyul's neck, and causing the Alpha to grunt in answer to the fresh pain that sprung up with the action.

"Only me? Forever and always?"

"Only you Yongsun." Moonbyul repeated. "Always you."

Nodding with approval, Yongsun released her grip on her neck and began working on taking off the Alpha's clothes. Moonbyul was wearing one of her loose white 'pirate shirts' as Yongsun called them, which Moonbyul liked because it was comfortable and easy to move in, but that she suspected Yongsun liked because it was easy to undo and take off. And the Omega did just that, untucking it from Moonbyul's trousers and pulling it up and over her head. And as she was wearing neither a tunic nor formal wear, instead of a leather belt, her trousers were held up by a simple cloth sash, which Yongsun quickly discarded, before finally tugging Moonbyul's trousers down and off.

She had noticed from the first time they had slept together, that Yongsun became very one-minded when she was thinking about sex, seemingly wanting to progress with things as quickly and efficiently as possible, and not caring much for any distraction or deference from the task in hand. And demonstrating this impatience very clearly, Yongsun suddenly grabbed hold of her hand and moved it to her crotch, so that she could feel her own semi through her undershorts.

"Do it yourself." she mumbled, as she pulled back from Moonbyul to begin taking her dress off.

Obeying Yongsun's wishes, and in order for her to be hard when Yongsun was ready to take her, she began massaging herself through her undershorts, though there was more practicality in the action than pleasure. And although she tried not to watch as Yongsun undressed, she found that there was really nowhere else to look that wouldn't have seemed like she was ignoring her on purpose.

Once completely undressed, Yongsun straddled her once more, although rather than pressing her firmly against the bed like she'd done the first time, she sat herself in Moonbyul's lap upright, wrapping her arms around her neck and considering her with a hard stare. And Moonbyul would've shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, had she not already been incredibly turned on by the way Yongsun was treating her. Always so commanding and yet never in a cold way, and despite herself, Moonbyul found that she rather liked being taken charge of, to a certain extent at least.

Her attention leaving Moonbyul's face, Yongsun began tracing her mouth along Moonbyul's neck as her hands moved up to caress her shoulders and then down, cupping around the muscles of her upper arms before fixing her hands into a more permanent grip.

"So strong..." she muttered, almost to herself, as she kneaded Moonbyul's firm biceps. "And yet so weak for me."

Moonbyul nodded insistently, despicably eager in her attempts to please but somehow quite unable to stop herself.

"I'd be anything for you Yongsun."

Yongsun smirked, tilting her head slightly to the side.

"As tempting as the possibilities that opens up are, you're just going to be one thing for me now. And that's my good, obedient Alpha."

Moonbyul nodded again, less eagerly this time, as she didn't want Yongsun to think that she was being too pushy or aggressive. Moving her hands down to Moonbyul's waist, Yongsun fixed her once again with an uncompromising stare, examining her body at her own discretion. 

"Up."

Moonbyul obeyed and lifted her hips up, with only slight difficulty due to the fact that Yongsun was still perched on her lap, and the Omega gently pushed her undershorts down and off. Almost immediately she closed her hand around Moonbyul's member, wanting to feel it in her hand, but in doing so, she felt the way the Alpha tensed, the muscles in her abdomen in particular contracting inwards. Loosening her grip slightly, she pressed a reassuring kiss to Moonbyul's temple.

"Don't tense. Relax for me, okay?"

She heard Moonbyul exhale a little heavier than usual, and smiled when the Alpha nodded. Leaning closer, she pushed forward against Moonbyul's hard-on until their hips were flush against each other, and Moonbyul was buried all the way inside her. Moonbyul raised her eyebrows, a little confused, as Yongsun lent her head back and let out a breathy laugh. But she couldn't find it in herself to be concerned about it, as surely a happy Yongsun couldn't mean anything bad.

"My good Alpha..." she mumbled into her ear.

The action itself, along with the words, caused Moonbyul to let out a small groan and inadvertently thrust her hips up slightly, which Yongsun stopped with a firm hand on her shoulder and another subtle bite down against the mark on Moonbyul's neck, which made the Alpha whimper slightly.

"Shush now. Just let me take the lead alright?"

Moonbyul nodded obediently and braced her hands against the mattress behind her as Yongsun began rocking in her lap, doing the work for both of them as Moonbyul served the role of support, holding her up and providing herself as something to hold onto. Just like the first time, Yongsun was very calculated and controlled, thrusting against her just so, and not giving in to wild pursuits of pleasure. Although admittedly, their position this time made it considerably more difficult for Yongsun to go too hard with her.

Contrary to before, Yongsun seemed to want to be as close to her as possible, wrapping her arms around her neck and resting her head on Moonbyul's shoulder, inhaling heavily against her scent gland. Closing her eyes, Moonbyul let herself be guided by the feel of Yongsun, rather than the sight of her, both relishing in the relief of contact, while at the same time standing down and allowing Yongsun to take whatever she wanted from her.

Although with the first time, there had been a sense of urgency, a desperation to feel, that wasn't present here. And it meant that Moonbyul didn't find herself rushing to completion too quickly, and was able to focus on connecting with Yongsun, giving her time to learn exactly what she liked. More than anything, it was a lesson on approval-seeking, figuring out the best way to please Yongsun in order to replicate it when the moment required it.

Yongsun too appeared to be appreciating the slower pace, exhaling softly with each steady roll of her hips and pressing soft kisses to any inch of skin she could reach before connecting their lips again, demonstrating the most affection for Moonbyul that she perhaps ever had up until this point. For their position was startlingly intimate, and did in fact, whether it was intentional or not, appear to offer Moonbyul at least a moment of equality with the Omega on her lap.

And although it was a much slower, steadier build than before, soon enough Moonbyul began to feel the building pressure, the twisting coils in her stomach, and everything else that accompanied that gnawing heat and desire to mate and mark. And Yongsun must've felt it too, as she lent down closer to Moonbyul's ear in order to ask her a question without having to put much effort into speaking.

"You're close?"

Moonbyul took in a shaky, almost heaving breath, before she managed to give an answer.

"Yeah."

Yongsun nodded and adjusted her pace slightly.

"Good. Keep going."

A little confused as to the direction of this order, as up until now Yongsun had made a point of Moonbyul _not_ doing anything, Moonbyul experimented with a gentle thrust upwards to meet Yongsun's downward stroke. And the Omega reacted unexpectedly well, murmuring her approval in Moonbyul's ear and giving her the go ahead to continue. And with this added level of intensity, it wasn't long before the two of them reached the edge.

"Fuck- Byul, Byul..."

Moonbyul bit down hard, her teeth pushing against each other in lieu of something else to bite down on, as Yongsun clenched around her, her own teeth sinking softly into Moonbyul's shoulder. And it was that feeling of insurmountable pressure, the need to spill, to come, that Moonbyul found was so much more enticing than the pleasure that came with it. For what was the thrill of climax, if not to finally be rid of that near agonising tension that preceded release?

And with Yongsun's own release dripping down onto her abdomen, she came, her breathing heavy and unsteady from chasing that final relief. And again, she felt Yongsun smile against her neck, a bubble of a laugh leaving her throat as she lent in to the Alpha, draping herself over her comfortingly solid form.

"God I needed that."

Pleased that she had satisfied the Omega, but not wanting the push her luck with Yongsun, Moonbyul made to get down from the bed as soon as Yongsun levered herself off of her lap, but was stopped when Yongsun closed her hand firmly around her wrist.

"No, stay. Just for tonight."

Trying not to show how pleased she was that Yongsun seemed to have warmed to her again, Moonbyul relaxed back against the mattress and allowed Yongsun to wrap her arms securely around her from behind, resting her chin on the top of her shoulder and pressing down firmly against her abdominal muscles. She had noticed that Yongsun seemed to have an undue fascination with her muscles, perhaps because she had few so developed of her own, but she was more than willing to let Yongsun feel any part of her body she wanted. 

So long as it made her happy.


	9. Journey To The North

When Moonbyul woke next morning, Yongsun was noticeably absent from the bed and as Moonbyul raised her head to look, she saw her over by the wardrobe, cycling through the rack of dresses. And Yongsun must've noticed her move out of the corner of her eye, as she turned to look at her and gave her a small smile.

She was wearing a simple white night-dress of sorts, that was relatively revealing but far from provocative, and she must've combed her hair since last night, as it was in no way the hair of someone who had just woken up. Although seeing her look so perfectly presented, sent a wave of self-consciousness through her, and she had to fight not to show it on her face as Yongsun approached her.

Moonbyul swallowed softly as Yongsun climbed up onto the bed and hovered over her, the hem of her night-dress riding up ever so slightly. The scent of sex was still heavy in the air from last night, and Moonbyul tried not to let it get to her, although with the way Yongsun was looking at her, it was more difficult than she anticipated. But then Yongsun had broken eye contact, examining the bunched up sheets around Moonbyul's legs before glancing back up at her.

"Tire you out did I?"

Not quite sure what the appropriate response to this would be, Moonbyul just nodded, staring up at Yongsun with wide eyes. Tilting her head to the side, Yongsun ran a careful hand through Moonbyul's messy hair, teasing out any knots she came across before she grinned, showing her teeth, of which Moonbyul could just make out the sharp canines. She then withdrew from her position over the Alpha, although not before kissing her on the cheek.

"Get dressed, we're leaving soon."

Hastening to obey, Moonbyul got out of bed and reached for her undershorts, that had been discarded on the floor, and pulled them on, before then reaching for her white shirt. However, upon noticing this, Yongsun made a surprised noise and stopped her.

"Oh actually."

She let the sentence hang as she made her way over to the corner of the room, from which she picked up a small box that Moonbyul had noticed the other day, but hadn't wanted to question Yongsun about.

"Now I know we have your full tournament outfit, but that's for best." Yongsun continued, placing the box on the end of the bed. "So I had a few other bits made up for everyday wear."

As she began unpacking the box, Moonbyul found herself self-consciously holding her shirt up to cover her chest, feeling a little exposed but not wanting to disobey Yongsun's wishes. So she stayed still, kneeling on the carpet, and continued to watch the princess in silence. The first thing Yongsun held up was a tunic-shirt, made of thin material in a dark forest green, and had a gold patterned trim to the neckline, cuffs and hem.

"For inside."

Moonbyul nodded and Yongsun switched to a shirt that looked to be made of a much heavier material, with longer sleeves and four small strap-buttons up the collar. This one was without embellishment, but was in the same dark forest green as the previous one.

"For outside." Yongsun explained, and then held up a piece of clothing Moonbyul wasn't immediately familiar with. "And as we're heading up north, I thought it appropriate to source a cloak for you."

The cloak was a richer green, more emerald like, and with a hooded cowl, presumably to protect from the rain. Moonbyul nodded her understanding, seeing now what it was. For although, of course, it did get quite cold every winter even down in the city, it was rare for it to be cold enough to need a cloak, especially as the body temperature of Alphas was already naturally much higher than that of Omegas. And even if they had needed one, most Alphas were far too poor to afford a luxury such as that, which is why Moonbyul had failed to recognise it at first.

"And I should hope that I don't need to remind you to be decently turned out the whole time we're in attendance at this festival."

Moonbyul bowed her head.

"No Yongsun."

Yongsun smiled again and ruffled her hair, somewhat playfully.

"Good. Now put on an undershirt instead of that old thing and then you can wear the outdoor shirt over the top. We shall be coach travelling all day and it's hardly a vehicle known for it's effective insolation."

Moonbyul nodded and moved over to the dresser, opening one of the drawers that had been reserved for her and pulling out a plain white undershirt. She then picked up the green tunic-shirt from inside the box and dropped it over her head, fastening the waist with an ordinary leather belt, before pulling on her trousers and finally her socks and boots, which Yongsun had already laid out for her.

Breakfast was about as brisk as Moonbyul had ever seen it, with no more than ten minutes spent on the meal before Yongsun hastened them outside, seemingly eager to set off. And despite them being well into spring by now, there was a chilling early morning wind which made Yongsun hug her arms closer around herself. Moonbyul, an Alpha as she was, didn't really feel it, but she resisted the urge to attempt to warm Yongsun up, knowing that such an action was inappropriate. 

Wheein, Hyejin and her respective maidservant were already waiting outside by the time they got there, and Yongsun sent Moonbyul, along with Wheein, to help the coachmen load the luggage onto the back of the carriages while she had a long conversation with Hyejin. Moonbyul, with all efforts to pretend that she wasn't, attempted to listen in, but the wind was in such a direction that any words that might've made their way to her were snatched and carried away almost immediately.

The carriage was more understated than Moonbyul had been expecting, but was larger and more elegant than the one they had taken to the garden party. It was a simple enclosed, box-shaped carriage, with room for four people to sit comfortably. The outside was draped in the typical dark red hangings with gold trim, representative of the collective flag of the kingdoms, and had great, polished wooden wheels, strengthened with metal hoops and rivets, attached to a frame to which two white horses were fastened, waiting with their driver atop his seat.

Yongsun had chosen a remarkably simple dress for the journey, a forest green number not unlike the outdoor shirt Moonbyul had been told to wear. The sleeves were slashed in a diamond pattern at the upper arm, revealing the white under layer, but other than that, there were no other embellishments and most noticeably no floral patterns at all, something which Moonbyul had begun to accept as a given in Yongsun's fashion choices.

She did however, have the addition of a beautiful velvet blue cloak, which had a stunning flowing rendition of the Taegeuk symbol, in white and gold, embroidered on the back. Moonbyul had never considered the cloak to be a potential item of aesthetic purpose, knowing it only by it's function. But seeing it on Yongsun, framed by long waves of her blonde hair, she could appreciate it in the way she imagined nobles must appreciate all clothes, as rich and as fine as they could afford them to be. And she was reminded of Yongsun's comment, several days ago now, about how blue was her favourite colour. And rightly so, as it looked just lovely on her.

Yongsun was first into the carriage, helped up the step by a Beta footman, and Jiae (who was to accompany them also) got in next, sitting across from Yongsun. Moonbyul, who was not afforded the help of a footman, pulled herself up last, although as she was about to take the seat next to Jiae, Yongsun stopped her and gestured her over.

"Next to me Alpha."

Bowing her head, Moonbyul changed direction and sat next to Yongsun. She wasn't wearing her own cloak, as she was plenty warm enough in her thick woollen shirt, but nevertheless, she felt Yongsun's hand move to rest firmly against her knee, seemingly not caring that Jiae could see. Strangely enough, and the complete opposite to how the couples Moonbyul had grown up around acted, Yongsun seemed to be far more touchy when in public than she ever really was in private, particularly with more possessive types of touch. For it was a strange dichotomy of interests that she wanted to both be seen in close contact with Moonbyul, but also didn't want to be seen as at all affectionate as a result.

Jiae for her part, made it out that she hadn't noticed, though Moonbyul suspected that she couldn't help but having done, as Yongsun was making no effort to hide it. And at first, there was a distinct awkwardness between them, although Moonbyul was unsure if Yongsun could feel it. But some ten minutes into the journey, when Yongsun had since become occupied with a book, Moonbyul chanced a glance up at the maidservant across from her and Jiae gave her a small smile, which immediately set her at ease.

Not able to read herself, and having been provided no alternate means of passing the time, Moonbyul focused on serving her role as perpetual plaything for Yongsun, allowing any and all touch from the princess as she continued reading her book, the rhythmic sound of turning pages a new constant amongst the otherwise relative silence. It wasn't long however, before Yongsun let out a small tsk of annoyance and raised her head sharply.

"Alpha, pull back the curtain would you. I need more light."

A little unsure at first, Moonbyul nodded and stood up, taking hold of the hangings covering the gap in the side of the carriage next to Yongsun, and then used the rope, evidently just for such a purpose, to fasten it to a hook at the back of the cabin area. Yongsun nodded in approval, as light flooded into the carriage, and she settled back in her seat to read once more, her other hand moving back to rest against Moonbyul's upper leg. And it was with this event that Moonbyul finally found something to occupy herself, outside of being a human comfort blanket for Yongsun. And that was that she could finally see the _outside_. Not just gardens from a bedroom window, or farmland from the outskirts of the city, but the actual countryside, living, breathing, and so, so _green_.

Moonbyul had thought that she had seen enough green to last a lifetime during the fitting session a few days ago, but not even that had prepared her for the sheer vibrancy of the sight she was now greeted with.

The itself road was nothing special, no more than two tracks of compacted earth and stone, that made an oddly pleasing trundling noise as the wheels of the carriage ran over them. But then, as far as the eye could see, they were surrounded by rolling fields of startling bright green grass, that appeared to glisten with the early morning dew. Dotted here and there were great waves of yellow flowers, and as they climbed further into the hills, patches of purple heather intermingled with increasingly dense forests, far enough away from any cities not to have been targeted for lumber. 

The journey, as Yongsun had said it would be, took all day, but Moonbyul found endless fascination in watching the ever changing landscape, and hardly noticed the time go by until she suddenly felt the absence of Yongsun's hand on her leg and glanced at her to check if she was okay. As it turned out, Yongsun had only taken her hand away to accept two covered bowls of food from Jiae, their lunch on the go. Each bowl was a mixture of simple kimchi and strips of marinated pork, and Moonbyul began eating hers only when Yongsun and Jiae were a considerable way through their own.

Having abandoned her book, Yongsun engaged Jiae in conversation through and after lunch, distracting Moonbyul slightly from looking out of the carriage at the countryside, as she didn't want to appear as if she wasn't paying attention. But as the sun began to creep lower in the sky, Yongsun stopped talking and pulled her cloak closer round herself and pressing up against Moonbyul's shoulder, perhaps seeking warmth from her high-functioning Alpha temperature system. And it was a few hours more before Moonbyul found her ears pricking up at a new sound, that of a flowing river very nearby to the road they were travelling. Presumably hearing this also, Yongsun raised her head from her shoulder and glanced out of the side of the carriage, and up at the low mountainside they had begun to climb.

"We'll be at the boarding house soon." she remarked, loud enough and without significant direction, so that Moonbyul could only assume that she was addressing both her and Jiae. "I've been told that it attracts quite the elite guest-list."

Yongsun's gaze lingered slightly on Moonbyul, and the Alpha started, feeling as if Yongsun wanted her to say something. So she coughed slightly, clearing her throat, and said the first thing that came to mind, not used to having a turn in conversation.

"If that is so, I'm honoured to be a part of such a legacy."

The corner of Yongsun's mouth turned up into a sort of half-smile and she seemed satisfied by this answer, as she turned her gaze back to the outside, her hand moving to rest less possessively now, and more comfortingly on Moonbyul's knee. And it wasn't long after that the carriages came to a trundling stop and the coachman jumped down from his seat to open the door for them, Moonbyul getting out first in order to help Yongsun down.

The boarding house was nestled right in the midst of the mountain range, surrounded by thick forests and layers of browning bracken. The building itself was in a traditionally Korean style, with panelled wooden walls and curved roofs. Moonbyul had noticed that in the city, a distinctly European style had been adopted for most buildings, most likely in concurrence with the recent adaptions of the industrial revolution that had been going in Korea lately, and so the countryside was now really the only place where Korean architecture still held precedence. 

Although Moonbyul herself was no stranger to such buildings, as she remembered her childhood home as being part of a very old sector of the city, having once been a rural village before urban sprawl took over, and so had been in that same Korean style. Her home however had been shabby, with broken roof tiles, split wall panels and chilling drafts that came through the many tiny gaps revealed by lack of care. This boarding house in comparison, seemed almost like a palace, although it was nowhere near as grand as the building that Yongsun called home.

All the same, Moonbyul marvelled at the surroundings, which were perhaps the most beautiful yet, as she helped the coach-driver carry Yongsun's luggage up to the boarding house steps. Having grown up in the slums, and then on the inside of the training facility her whole life, she had hardly been exposed to country life at all. So even though it was fast approaching night-time, and all she could see it by was the burning orange light of the sinking sunset, she embraced the clean air and rolling hills with a joy as if she had ascended to heaven itself.

A smartly dressed Beta woman met them at the doors, with much gracious bowing in welcoming Yongsun, and Moonbyul frowned slightly at observing the woman's desperation to please and be respectful. For she hated to imagine that that was exactly what she must look like around Yongsun all the time, and only ever the worse, with her position as an Alpha. Although still, she couldn't help but defend to herself that it wasn't Yongsun that she hated serving, but rather the fact that she needed to serve and grovel at her feet at all.

The Beta woman went off with Yongsun and Hyejin, presumably to show them to their rooms, as her husband then showed their respective Alphas what to do with their luggage. And by the time everything was fully unloaded and the horses had been taken to the stables round the back of the boarding house, the Omegas had retired to the dining hall, and Moonbyul stood obediently by the door, Wheein similarly so just to her right. Noticing this, Yongsun caught her eye and gave nodded her head slightly.

"Alpha, come here."

Moonbyul nodded and moved to kneel next to Yongsun, although also slightly behind her, as she was intensely aware of the board-house mistress's eyes watching the both of them. Seeming not to notice this, or not showing it on her face if she had, Yongsun carried on eating, feeding Moonbyul occasional bites in the slightly dismissive way that Moonbyul had originally expected her to adopt, but which was a new thing coming from the princess. She supposed it was because they were in foreign company, but it still hurt slightly to be treated once again as if she wasn't even there, when prior to now Yongsun had been quite unusually interactive with her.

Hyejin was equally dismissive with Wheein, talking animatedly to the board-house mistress and her husband, and engaging Yongsun in commentary every so often, although Moonbyul noticed that Yongsun was staying quiet most of the time, seemingly preferring to listen. And at some point near the end of the meal, she felt Yongsun move her hand to rest lightly against her knee, an innocent enough gesture, although ever since doing so, Moonbyul had been able to think of nothing else but the slight pressure of Yongsun's hand. And by the time Yongsun had finished eating, Moonbyul could sense an impatience in her scent and body language, and it wasn't long before she spoke up.

"Forgive me for the interruption, but I feel as if, what with our early start tomorrow, I should be taking my leave."

The boarding house mistress faltered slightly, but didn't let the smile drop from her face.

"Of course your majesty, of course. You remember the way to your room?"

Yongsun smiled and nodded.

"Indeed I do. Come Alpha."

Glad enough on any reason to leave the tense atmosphere of the dining room, Moonbyul followed Yongsun dutifully out into the hallway and over towards a winding staircase. She noticed that Yongsun exhaled heavily as soon as they were out of earshot of everyone else, and she looked evidently irritated.

"Jesus..." she muttered, almost under her breath. "I mean I know I'm a princess but do they have to be so pandering..."

Moonbyul smiled to herself as they climbed the stairs, pleased that someone else had annoyed the princess by sucking up to her, while she, despite doing much of the same, remained free of such criticism. And she wondered if it was down to her affections being as genuine as she should could make them, and she had gotten a definite feeling of falsity from the behaviour of the Beta couple, suggestive that they cared only for Yongsun's status and not for her as a person.

Yongsun's room was at the top of the boarding house, and differed from many of the other rooms as it was decorated in a European style. Moonbyul's gaze tracked upwards, admiring the intricate black and gold patterned wallpaper, and the similarly coloured curtains drawn across the windows. In the centre of the far wall was a large queen-sized bed, with a rich walnut wood frame and a dark red and green tartan duvet.

Yongsun paused for a moment by the door, looking around the room before her eyes alighted on part of the wall that seemed somewhat separate from the rest. As it turned out, it was the Alpha quarters, attached to the main room by way of a sliding door, and was practically no more than an elevated cupboard, with a thin mattress covering the bottom and a bolster pillow up one end. Moonbyul wondered idly if such a space would even be big enough for an Alpha, especially a more heavy-set male one, and Yongsun seemed to have a similar consideration, as she eyed Moonbyul closely for a moment before turning back to the cupboard room.

"'Tis hardly adequate services." she commented, somewhat offhandedly.

"For an Alpha I think it would do." Moonbyul responded.

Yongsun looked at her a little oddly for a moment, before she tossed her hair, clearly annoyed.

"Well not for my Alpha."

Turning away from the cupboard, she began undoing her dress as Moonbyul averted her gaze onto the carpet, not wanting it to seem as if she thought she had earned the right to see Yongsun undress, just because they had had sex twice now. Dressed down to her chemise, Yongsun hung her dress over the back of a chair and then moved over to the bed, pulling back the covers and then climbing inside.

"Alpha?"

Moonbyul looked up sharply at the address.

"Seeming as your quarters are... in my opinion, inadequate, you may stay with me tonight."

Moonbyul nodded, but visibly dithered at the side of the bed until Yongsun lost patience and opened her arms, gesturing her over.

"Come, I want to hold you."

Hastening to obey, Moonbyul undressed herself and got into bed next to Yongsun, shuffling closer until she was pressed up against her side, her cheek resting against the front of Yongsun's shoulder. She had half expected Yongsun to want to get up to something a little more than just sleeping, when she had invited her to share the bed, but her scent was reassuringly neutral, and she made no motion to indicate any ulterior motive.

Moonbyul had noticed that she was rather unusual in this way. That most of the time she was so proper and indiscernible, that you'd never know that she was no longer the demure, virgin princess that she had been for so long. And yet, on the times that she did eventually drop this persona, she became wilder and more ruthless than Moonbyul could've ever imagined of the princess. And it was just slightly strange to see the contrast between the two sides of Yongsun, with seemingly no leeway in-between.

"Are you nervous for this tournament?" Yongsun asked after a few moments of silence, her hand stroking gently through the Alpha's hair.

The obvious answer, and the one Moonbyul supposed Yongsun would be expecting, would be yes. But thinking on it, Moonbyul realised that saying yes to this question would be an entirely inappropriate answer.

"No Yongsun. I perform my duty for you gladly and confidently."

Yongsun laughed, not vocally as such, but more of an amused sort of exhale through her nose.

"You always have an answer don't you." she mumbled, almost to herself.

"I would not wish to leave your questions unanswered."

Yongsun smiled and buried her face gently into Moonbyul's hair.

"Indeed."

***

Thankfully, when morning came, Yongsun seemed eager to set off as quickly as possible, and so Moonbyul only had to endure a relatively short period of awkwardness around the Beta hosts during breakfast. The wife in particular seemed quite intent on examining her every behaviour at every chance she got, and Moonbyul buckled under her gaze, sticking as close to Yongsun as she dared, seeking reassurance.

Yongsun hadn't bothered to change her dress, supposedly because there was no-one to change it for. Hyejin however had dressed differently for the new day, in a black dress that showed her shoulders, although she quickly hid this by way of a rich, red cloak. Wheein was wearing a similarly black tunic-jacket, that fastened up one side via a line of tightly buckled straps. It was a rather performative outfit for an Alpha, but from the impression she had got so far of Hyejin, she was a rather performative person.

She also noticed that Wheein was now sporting a burnished red leather collar around her neck, making it quite impossible to tell if Hyejin had bitten her or not, though from instincts alone, Moonbyul would've guessed that she hadn't. For mated Alphas often had a slightly different type of scent to that of unmated ones. And aside from this, the way that Wheein interacted with Hyejin was suggestive of a lack of a connection, as there was a coldness between them that wasn't there with her and Yongsun. At least not most of the time.

"Good night?" Hyejin asked Yongsun, as they made their way out to the carriages.

"Fine." Yongsun replied.

"I don't know about you, but I felt the Alpha quarters were rather lacking."

Yongsun nodded in agreement.

"I thought the very same thing."

"Perhaps they don't get many Alphas up this way."

"Perhaps."

Overtly aware of the weird sort of awkwardness in the stilted conversation that the two Omegas were having, Moonbyul chanced a glance at Wheein, who just shrugged her shoulders and smiled back at her when she was sure neither Yongsun nor Hyejin were looking. Yongsun however, did catch the lazy smile on Moonbyul's own face, as she turned away from Wheein, gaze trained back on the floor. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she took firm hold of Moonbyul's upper arm and practically dragged her over to the carriage, stepping up first and then pulling the Alpha down into the seat next to her. And it was a few seconds later that a rushed looking Jiae joined them, seemingly having been caught unaware of their immanent departure by what she said next. 

"Forgive me your majesty, I had thought you still preparing."

"That's quite alright Jiae. Are the others ready to leave?"

"I believe so your majesty."

"Then let's go." Yongsun finished, her hand moving to grip Moonbyul's trouser material a little too firmly, bunching it up at the knee.

The next few days passed in much the same manner, the time from the first rays of daylight up until the sinking of the sun in the sky, were spent on the road, ever narrowing the gap between them and Queen Sunghee's kingdom in the north. And although the ever changing landscape was still of great interest to Moonbyul, she found that as the days progressed, Yongsun began to involve her more and more in conversation, even if most of the time she was only talking in order for her to listen.

And during the nights, when in occupancy of various boarding houses, both in the country and in the towns and cities that they passed through, she was allowed to sleep alongside Yongsun in her bed, although never in a position which would suggest any level of equality between them. The princess also made no move of a sexual nature on her, despite having ample opportunity and reason, though Moonbyul had noticed that Yongsun wasn't the type to let known her desires easily, and was quite able to keep any possessiveness she might show in public over her Alpha under strict control.

As the final day of travelling dawned bright and cold, Yongsun seemed in an unusually good mood, humming to herself as Jiae braided her hair with a number of small, golden artificial flowers. She had told Moonbyul to wear one of her dressier tunics, one with, in her words; 'a few extra bits', and so Moonbyul had chosen one in red and black stripes, with an impressively chunky belt round the middle. She then pulled on her cloak, tucking the hooded cowl around her face, as even as an Alpha, the cold of a kingdom so far north was getting to her.

Yongsun had left to put on her own dress as Moonbyul had gotten changed, and she came back into the boarding house bedroom just as she was kneeling to tie the laces of her boots. By this point in their relationship, Moonbyul was comfortable enough not to immediately snap to attention, and finished tying her laces before standing up straight, only to come practically face to face with Yongsun, who was watching her with great amusement.

"You look like you're playing dress up. As a medieval knight."

Moonbyul raised her eyebrow slightly, wondering if this was a good thing.

"It's nice. I mean- it looks nice on you."

Moonbyul was taken aback by the sudden, rather juvenile look of embarrassment on Yongsun's face as she stumbled over her words, even if it was there for only a moment, and it reminded her of the fact that Yongsun was still only nineteen years old, younger than herself even. For the princess always seemed so wise and confident, beyond her young years, that it was rather startling when she did something that would be quite usual for any other girl or her age to do.

As for her own outfit, she was wearing a longer green dress quite unlike most of her other ones, which had shorter hems and often much less draping fabric. This dress was also devoid of any floral motifs, an almost alien look on Yongsun as far as Moonbyul was concerned, and instead had a number of tiny gold-threaded embellishments, which gave the illusion of sparkling rain down the length of the dress. The sleeves also hung slightly long, again, something not shared by most of Yongsun's dresses, and Moonbyul was unsure whether she liked it or not. 

"It's just funny." Yongsun remarked, causing Moonbyul to raise her head. "Hyejin said the same thing about my dress. That I look like a medieval princess."

Moonbyul nodded in consideration.

"Interesting coincidence."

Yongsun titled her head to the side, smiling.

"I suppose it is."

Retaining her slight grin, Yongsun held out her arm and Moonbyul took her elbow, allowing herself to be escorted outside to the carriage. There was a general air of excitement, both among their small party and the many surrounding townsfolk, as they had stayed that last night in a boarding house situated in the nearest city directly to the one in which the festival was to be held that year. And as a result, many people, like them, had stayed here last night, on their way to the festival the next day.

"This isn't a renaissance faire you know." Hyejin called out to Yongsun, upon seeing the two of them in their finery.

"Speak for yourself. Am I not allowed to dress like the princess I am?"

Hyejin raised an eyebrow playfully.

"I daresay nobody can tell you what not to do, Yongsun."

As the two Omegas bantered back and forth, Moonbyul made her way to help the coachman secure their luggage once more to the carriage, in what would be the final time before they reached the festival grounds. She had gotten reasonably friendly with both the coachmen and Jiae over these last few days, or as friendly as one could be with people they weren't really allowed to interact with. But if anything, Moonbyul was starting to feel as if she were no longer out of place, and was becoming a fixed part of Yongsun's royal life.

"Right, we'd best be off then. I'll see you at the festival." Hyejin said, smiling at Yongsun and then gesturing sharply with her hand. "Come Wheein!"

Wheein, who was dressed rather more simply and appropriately in a black, silver-buttoned army jacket with turned up cuffs, and an ordinary white shirt, bowed her head and helped Hyejin up into the carriage, before then helping her maidservant and ascending after them. Taking their cue, Yongsun and Jiae did the same, with Moonbyul pulling herself up last and closing the half-door to the carriage behind her.

Yongsun talked animatedly all the way up towards the mountain kingdom, and Moonbyul found her gaze, for once, taken away from the outside and fixed inside on Yongsun. For she liked watching Yongsun talk when it was something she was really interested in, and you could see the visible excitement on her face and in her tone. It just made her feel oddly happy, like little birds were fluttering in her chest. 

And not a few hours later, with the sun still high in the sky, the carriage slowed to allow them to be waved through a large entrance gate, and Yongsun pulled back the hangings in order to look outside.

"I think we're here." Yongsun remarked, a grin overcoming her face.

"It's so big." Jiae commented, also craning her neck to look out of the side of the carriage.

Moonbyul herself however, had suddenly began to feel distinctly nauseous, the thought that she, as an Alpha, would have to perform to the most powerful Omegas from all over the country being quite overwhelming. But then she felt Yongsun's hand close around her own, and when she looked up at the princess, she was greeted with nothing but a kind face.

"Hey." she said, quietly enough so that only she could hear. "You're going to do fine. Remember? You're my strong, confident Alpha."

Remembering what she had told Yongsun during that night in the first boarding house, Moonbyul nodded.

"Yes Yongsun."

Yongsun beamed.

"Excellent. Then let the Spring Festival begin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know, yet _another_ chapter without spring festivities. But I promise, you will get festival content in the next chapter! And as many of you seem to want, yes, you will also be getting more WheeSa content. Just bear with me XD


	10. A Good Alpha

Two heavily armoured Beta guards, adorned with the royal crest on their tunics, allowed their carriages entrance into the city, following a short conversation with the coachmen, and once inside, it only became ever more awe-inspiring to behold. Every inch of the central road winding upwards through the city had been decorated for the festival, and Moonbyul was beginning to understand why hosting such an event was such a big honour for those that obtained it.

Lining the road were pairs of great torches on stands, running parallel to each other, as of yet unlit as there was still significant daylight to see by. Hung across, between each opposing torch stand, were great bunches of hanging flowers in all manner of beautiful colours, and banners of vibrant green edged with gold, the Taegeuk symbol emblazoned in the centre.

The city itself was not as busy as perhaps Moonbyul might've expected. There was a general hustle and bustle yes, as with any highly populated space, but it was mostly servants busy with preparations for the first day of the festival the coming morning, and the odd townsperson about their daily chores sprinkled here and there amongst them. Moonbyul imagined most of the guests that weren't directly taking part in the events, would be staying in various boarding houses surrounding the city, and that tomorrow the streets would be packed.

The carriages stopped in the large open courtyard that surrounded the entrance to the palace, with a line of stables extending out to the right. Moonbyul noticed, once she had jumped down and helped Yongsun and Jiae down after her, that there were a number of other carriages already parked, de-coupled from their horses and decorated in a huge variety of gorgeous, colourful hangings.

Forcing herself to swallow the lump in her throat, at the thought that she would soon be in the presence of all of the most powerful Omegas in the country, Moonbyul followed behind Yongsun dutifully, keeping her head bowed. A Beta attendant, dressed smartly in black trousers, white shirt and bow-tie and a red, tail-coated jacket, met them at the front stairs leading up to the palace. They bowed deeply before Yongsun first, before doing the same to Hyejin.

"Your majesty and her ladyship. On the behalf of her majesty, Queen Sunghee, I welcome you most graciously to Yeok-da, the jewel of her royal kingdom."

"It's an honour to be invited." Yongsun returned, smiling.

"Your journey was pleasant I hope?"

"There were no difficulties, which is about the best that can be said."

The Omegas and the attendant exchanged small talk for a while, with subsequent greetings to both the maidservants, and Moonbyul found it difficult not to let her eyes roam, so beautiful and awe-inspiring were the surroundings that she found herself in. The palace, being where it was at the peak of the mountain kingdom, was even more impressive than the palace she had reluctantly begun to call home, as the design made it seem to stretch up impossibly high into the sky, and she had to fight the urge to tilt her head back and admire the entire thing.

"These are your Alphas?"

Hearing the address, Moonbyul lowered her gaze instinctively, to be sure that she wouldn't make eye-contact with the attendant, as she knew that they must be looking directly at her. And after a moment's pause, during which she felt Yongsun close her hand securely around her wrist, the attendant spoke again.

"Well if you'd like to come with me, I can have someone show them the way to the Alpha barracks."

The rise in tension was immediate, and to Moonbyul it felt almost suffocating, as she felt the way Yongsun's fingers tightened around her wrist. And when she spoke next, there was a distinct edge to her voice.

"Can she not stay with me?"

The attendant bowed their head, somewhat hesitantly avoiding eye-contact, before they looked back up at Yongsun.

"Of course your majesty, you retain the right to keep your Alpha with you if you so desire. But we find the Spring Festival to be one of those rare opportunities where those of both parties can integrate themselves within a group different to what they are used to. That and it's rather a tradition that the Alphas stay separate for the process of the Claimant Tournament. I assure you that they shall be aptly provided for."

Yongsun glanced at Moonbyul for a moment, considering this, before she conceded and tilted her head forward with a small smile.

"Well then. Let it not be said that I was the one to break the tradition."

The attendant's own smile was one of visible relief, and Moonbyul would've grinned in amusement, had it of been appropriate for her to do so, which it most decidedly was not.

"Excellent. This way your majesty, your ladyship."

With one last glance back at her, Yongsun let go of her wrist and fell in step with the attendant, and Hyejin followed suit after leaning in and whispering something in Wheein's ear that, despite her efforts, Moonbyul didn't quite catch. The maidservants followed dutifully after their mistresses, and Moonbyul was left staring at the back of Jiae's head all the way up the stairs, until the small party had disappeared inside the palace.

The wait for a guide down to the barracks wasn't long, but it was long enough for Moonbyul to start shifting from foot to foot, uncomfortable with being alone in such an unfamiliar pace. Wheein for one, looked completely unphased, almost bored even, as she was examining the nails on her right hand in the offhand sort of way that someone did when they were trying to pass the time in a moment of awkward silence.

To Moonbyul's surprise, the servant that eventually greeted them was an Alpha, a young man of maybe sixteen or seventeen, dressed in black trousers, a white shirt with loose sleeves, tied at the wrist, black suspenders and a pair of labourer's boots. Having never of met an Alpha who occupied a position anywhere between near-destitute and mate to an Omega, Moonbyul was unsure how to interact with him. But the young Alpha merely nodded at them and gestured for them to follow, and so they did.

The Alpha barracks turned out to be a large building tucked away on the fringes of the city, near to the tournament ground, which they arrived to via the winding road that they had just driven up, the whole journey taking about ten minutes in all. Since their Alpha escort spoke not one word to them the whole way down, Moonbyul took the time to take in the sights and sounds of the city that she had only gotten a glimpse of before.

This city, in sharp contrast to the one Yongsun's father presided over, seemed not to have been taken over by any sort of European influence, as the buildings were very much consistent with those you might've seen in ancient Korea, back in the days when Alphas had ruled and Omegas and Betas had been the ones populating the invisible corners of the streets and slums. Of course, it hadn't escaped industrialisation entirely, no city of this size ever could, and this was evident in the various factory type buildings that they passed on the way down to the tournament ground. But even so, Moonbyul was intrigued at how different the city both looked and felt to the sort of city that she was familiar with.

As the palace was near the very top end of the city, they ended up crossing a bridge leading down onto the other side, that they hadn't used to ascend up there. And although Moonbyul had heard it from inside the carriage, she was now greeted with the full, tumultuous force of a waterfall, the tumbled down the mountainside and landed far below the bridge, joining the river which flowed underneath it and then through the city.

Moonbyul wanted to stop and watch the water for a while, in awe of the rushing wall of water, as she had never seen such a thing before in her whole life. But with the steady pace the Alpha was setting in front of them, she knew she wasn't going to be able to. So reluctantly she followed alongside Wheein and spent only a few seconds water the waterfall before they were past it. Perhaps she could somehow convince Yongsun to take her here, during a quiet point of the tournament, though she doubted her own ability to be able to convince her.

The tournament ground, when they reached it, was inevitably a hive of activity, with most of the work seeming to be centred on a great arena-like building, open to the air surrounded by seats. Invariably the Betas and Omegas that they passed gave them considerable lingering glances, but none interrupted their progress and they soon reached an area that was comparatively devoid of occupation and noise.

"It's just in there." the Alpha said, stopping a few metres away from the barracks and pointing. "You'll stay here tonight and you'll be taken to get ready for the opening ceremony in the morning."

The Alpha was softly spoken, an unsurprising tone of obedience in his voice, though he didn't seem as nervous and jumpy as most Alphas usually were. She supposed it was because he was in the presence of other Alphas, and so didn't need to put on a performance as such, but it was still a little strange to see an Alpha look so relaxed. Seemingly unphased by such behaviour however, Wheein smiled and nodded her head.

"Thank you."

The young Alpha smiled back, somewhat shyly, and Moonbyul thought she saw a look of slight reverence on his face. But no sooner had she tried to get a better look, did he bow his head and turn to leave, starting once more on the steady journey uphill back to the palace. Her action interrupted, she turned to glance at Wheein instead, who just shrugged and led the way to push open the door to the barracks.

Considering the term barracks, Moonbyul had been expecting a different set up entirely from the scene she was greeted with. All the way down, she had imagined it to be a long, sterile rectangle of a building, with rows of neatly sectioned army beds, complete with rough army blankets. But the reality was far from this imagination. 

For one, the building wasn't a rectangle, and instead speared off into more of a slightly misshapen L. And again, far from being in structured rows, the beds were scattered all over, with bunk-beds against the walls and single beds set out in the gaps in-between. There was also the odd table here and there, though most the Alphas seemed just to be using their beds for whatever activity they were engaging in.

As soon as they entered, one such of these Alphas, who had been reclining on a top bunk sipping from a bottle of some indiscernible beverage, noticed them and grinned. Tapping the shoulder of the Alpha next to her, she handed him her bottle and then jumped down, approaching them. She was tall, even for an Alpha, as Alpha females, taller than their Omega counterparts as they often were, were still commonly much shorter than Alpha males.

"Hey, new Alphas. Good to meet you."

She extended a hand out to Moonbyul first, although not until after she had acknowledged both of them with another smile.

"Hwang Kyungseon, Alpha to Princess Boyoung of Yeokjo."

Moonbyul shook Kyungseon's hand and was surprised by exactly how strong a grip she had. Because of course, all Alphas were strong, but she seemed to be on a whole other level. And Moonbyul dreaded to think what it might be like to come up against her in a fight, should the Claimant Tournament indeed include such a thing.

"So what corner of the nation did you two crawl out from then, hmm?" Kyungseon asked, an easy, natural smile on her face.

Moonbyul glanced at Wheein for a moment, who just nodded her head as if telling her to go ahead. 

"Uh, Ihaengyeo."

"Ihaengyeo... that's down south isn't it?"

Moonbyul nodded and Kyungseon eyes glinted playfully.

"Long journey up."

Kyungseon then turned to Wheein, shaking her hand in turn and engaging in various pieces of small talk, enough for Moonbyul to have the opportunity to scan her surroundings more closely. And glancing round the barracks, Moonbyul suddenly noticed something rather strange about the make-up of Alphas surrounding them. For although there were still undoubtedly more male ones, there was a considerable amount of female ones too. And she voiced as such when there was a gap in conversation.

"There's so many female Alphas here. I almost thought we might be the only ones."

Kyungseon grinned and rolled her eyes.

"Oh you know royals, always wanting to be different. It seems that female Alphas are somewhat of a fashion these days. But I reckon it won't last long. They don't emphasise male virility for nothing, as Omegas are seemingly always happy to point out."

Wheein smirked, but Moonbyul's eyes widened slightly upon hearing an Alpha took about Omegas in such a way. And seeming to sense her discomfort, Kyungseon smoothly changed the direction of conversation.

"Oh goodness, how rude of me. I never asked your names."

Also seeming eager to break the awkwardness, Wheein spoke up first.

"Jung Wheein. Alpha to Lady Ahn."

"Ooh, a lady. Less pressure than a princess I would assume?"

Wheein shrugged.

"Perhaps."

Kyungseon grinned.

"Depends entirely on the lady hmm?"

"You could say that."

Kyungseon then turned to Moonbyul with an expectant look, and Moonbyul hastened to answer.

"Moon Byulyi, Alpha to Princess Yongsun."

Kyungseon's eyes visibly lit up with interest.

"Oh I've _heard_ of Princess Yongsun. Her father and Princess Boyoung's mother knew each other when they were younger. Apparently she's quite the dark horse, if the gossip is to be believed. Tell me, there any truth in that?"

Moonbyul shrugged.

"I don't know about that. She's certainly... unusual."

Kyungseon raised an eyebrow and grinned.

"Oh? And what's that code for?"

Moonbyul caught the insinuation easily, not in the least because of the fact that people rarely implied anything other than something sexual when talking about the relationship between Omegas and their Alphas.

"I could never speak of the princess in such a way." she replied, an air of indignation to her tone. 

Kyungseon bowed her head, though she was still smiling.

"Of course not. Forgive me."

Moonbyul was intrigued however, as she wouldn't have thought that there was any Alpha out there bold enough to make such an implication, even if only in the company of other Alphas.

"Does your Omega allow you such liberties?" she asked, genuinely curious.

Kyungseon shrugged.

"Not in front of anyone who would judge, which is practically everyone considering, but I daresay she seems to care a little less in private." Catching sight of Moonbyul's expression, she rested a hand gently on her shoulder. "You're new to this kid, but trust me, it gets easier with time. Most of them usually relax a bit once they've had a few pups. They're used to having you around then."

Feeling herself beginning to distance from the conversation, Wheein tapped Moonbyul on the back of her other shoulder, causing her to turn.

"Hey Byul, I'm gonna talk to some of the others. Catch you later yeah?"

Only slightly taken aback, Moonbyul nodded.

"Oh, yeah. Sure."

Seeing the slightly 'lost-puppy' look on Moonbyul face, as Wheein went over to a small group of Alphas in the corner of the room, Kyungseon rested an arm across her shoulders and guided her along with her.

"Come, you can sit with me and Chansung."

Chansung turned out to be the Alpha Kyungseon had been sitting next to before they had come in, and he shuffled across the top bunk to create room for the three of them to sit. Reaching across Kyungseon, he smiled warmly at Moonbyul and shook her hand, but didn't say anything.

"Chansung's a real find I tell you." Kyungseon said, in almost a joking tone. "He can't speak, which means I can talk all I want uninterrupted."

Moonbyul couldn't hide the look of surprise on her face.

"He can't speak?"

Chansung rolled his eyes slightly in Kyungseon's direction, and the female Alpha nudged his shoulder firmly, shaking her head.

"I'm sure he'd give you all the dirty details if he could, but as of such, I feel it's not my place to divulge."

Moonbyul nodded, feeling that this was fair enough.

"So speaking of, I feel ever so bad for asking after your princess like that. I forget sometimes that not all Alphas are as comfortable as me talking about their Omegas. So please, ask me anything you want and I shall oblige."

Moonbyul chewed nervously on her bottom lip.

"I don't wish to pry."

Kyungseon gave her another easy smile.

"Not at all. And you'll be doing Chansung a favour, putting up with my chatter for however long I can keep you here."

Moonbyul smiled cautiously, and thought on this for a moment.

"Well then, can I ask, how many children have you sired?"

"Three, all boys, more's the pity, and no Alphas. Though I suppose I should be happy for their sakes. It's hardly the best start in life after all."

"How much do you... get to interact with them?" Moonbyul continued, having never really of thought about such a thing before.

"Often enough I suppose." Kyungseon answered, offhandedly. "But you know, not having any legal rights to them, there's times where I don't get to see them as much as I'd like. And they don't really care all that much about me."

Moonbyul glanced down at her feet, and at the rough laces that tied her heavy army boots.

"I don't know if I'm ready for pups. Everything seems to be going so fast."

Kyungseon smiled sympathetically.

"I daresay you have little choice in the matter. But I wouldn't worry about it. The Omegas deal with pretty much all the baby stuff, so much so you'll be lucky just to get a glance at them for the first few weeks. And if it's an Omega, you're pretty much guaranteed never to see them. It's all more trouble than it's worth in my opinion, but I suppose it's important to carry on the ancestral line or whatever." 

Moonbyul, who had never met such a talkative Alpha and hadn't previously believed such people to exist, found herself quite contented to just sit and listen to Kyungseon. For in much the same way as with Yongsun, she enjoyed any situation where she herself had only a secondary role to play, as it meant there was less chance for her to mess things up, or perhaps say something out of line.

And for the next few hours she let Kyungseon lead, listening to anything and everything she had to say, which was mostly about her princess, and only asking occasional questions. At some point Kyungseon saw fit to begin introducing her to a few of the others, and she had just started to get the hang of the rules for a card game they were playing, when there was a knock at the door to the barracks.

Looking up, Moonbyul's eyes widened slightly in fear as she saw Jiae open the door and enter the barracks, although the young maidservant looked equally nervous, with the eyes of so many Alphas pinpointed directly onto the tiny Beta. Though she managed to keep her nerve as she spoke, her voice not wavering.

"Alpha Moonbyul, your presence is requested."

Hastening to obey, Moonbyul made fleeting eye contact with Kyungseon as she stood up, and she just nodded at her encouragingly. Sitting back against the wall, Kyungseon watched Moonbyul go with amusement, knowing full well that it could only be her princess requesting her presence. For she found the possessiveness of young Omegas quite hilarious, as it was a childish pursuit in it's best light, and one that all but the worst of Omegas usually grew out of. And although it was amusing now, Kyungseon did find herself hoping, for Moonbyul's sake, that Yongsun wouldn't turn out to be one of those.

Outside the barracks, Yongsun was waiting a little ways off, and leant in to whisper to Jiae as she passed, who nodded and moved to stand far out earshot of the both of them. Now alone, Moonbyul tried not to show her nervousness, as she wondered to what purpose Yongsun had called upon her for. It was already evening, and the fast sinking sun was casting shadows around Yongsun that was making her seem more intimidating than even she was usually.

Yongsun was a long time talking, seemingly just wanting to sit back and examine her incredibly closely, as if concerned that she had somehow changed in the few short hours that they had been apart.

"You're settling in?" she eventually asked.

Moonbyul nodded.

"Yes Yongsun."

"And the barracks are adequate?"

"Yes Yongsun. More than adequate in fact."

Yongsun nodded her approval.

"That's good. I was worried that there may be a degree of... insufficiency. But Queen Sunghee has always been reliable in the past, and I see that there is no reason for me to believe that might've changed."

Moonbyul had no real answer to this, so chose not to say anything at all. And after a moment's pause, Yongsun continued, although only after glancing over her shoulder.

"I should be getting back. I only came to make sure that Beta's claims were wholly accurate. I didn't wish for a repeat of the far too common inadequacy as displayed by so many of the boarding houses we stayed at."

Moonbyul bowed her head forward, as if to show that she understood. Narrowing her eyes ever so slightly, Yongsun reached out a hand and traced her fingers lightly over Moonbyul's jaw.

"You be a good Alpha for me, okay?"

"Of course Yongsun."

Yongsun smiled at her, looking quite uncharacteristically pleased for a moment, before she cupped the side of her neck in her hand and kissed her, quite firmly, although Moonbyul could tell it was more a kiss of assertion than of lust, for the two felt very different. She then separated from her with a small nod.

"I'll see you tomorrow Alpha. Don't disappoint me."

And before Moonbyul could respond, Yongsun had turned on her heel and began making her way back up to the palace, Jiae following her in close pursuit from where she had been waiting. And Moonbyul just watched her retreating back, and her pretty blonde hair, until Yongsun was out of sight, at which point she disappeared back inside the Alpha barracks, with barely another moment's thought for her Omega.

***

"Byul!"

Moonbyul woke with a start as someone whispered sharply in her ear, and it took her a few seconds to recognise the person standing over her, as dark as it was in the barracks at this time of night.

"Wheein?"

Wheein smiled and nudged her shoulder gently.

"Com'n, put your shirt on, let's go."

Confused, Moonbyul pushed herself up on her elbow and rubbed her eyes, before she was surprised by Wheein throwing her shirt at her face. Rather begrudgingly, she pulled the shirt on over her thin undershirt, but caught Wheein's wrist before she could get out of reach.

"Hey, where are we going?"

Wheein rolled her eyes.

"You ask too many questions."

"Does Yongsun want something?"

Wheein turned to her, visibly confused, before she shook her head.

"What? No. Just follow me."

So, if a little reluctantly, Moonbyul allowed Wheein to take her hand and guide her silently out of the Alpha barracks. It was cold outside, in only her thin trousers that she had been wearing to sleep and then her shirt over the top, but as they walked she soon warmed up, her Alpha genetics coming into their own. Wheein didn't say much as she led her on towards their destination, and Moonbyul found her interest drawn to the rough texture of her hand, and in particular the distinctive scar across her palm that she had noticed the first time they had met.

"Can I ask..."

Wheein gave her a sort of half-glance, before looking away again.

"What?"

"How did you get the scar on your hand?"

Wheein took a little while in answering, which made Moonbyul curious as to why, upon hearing her response.

"Just... something when I was a kid. Tried to climb a fence, slit my hand open."

Moonbyul nodded.

"Sorry I brought it up, I was just... curious."

Wheein rolled her shoulders slightly, as if shaking off the apology. 

"It's fine. Lots of people ask me about it."

Moonbyul found herself wondering idly who Wheein had been talking to throughout her life who would be interested enough in an Alpha to ask about such a thing, but she didn't bother Wheein with another inquiry, already feeling as if she had overstepped a mark somehow. And Wheein was the sort of person who gave the impression that she didn't really like being asked a lot of questions. For she was often quiet and surly, not unusual for an Alpha, although... something about her was different. But Moonbyul couldn't put her finger on it.

"Y'know." Wheein started, re-garnering Moonbyul's attention. "I didn't really know what to think of you at first."

"Hmm?"

Wheein paused for a moment before continuing, still not turning to face Moonbyul, as they made their way steadily downhill.

"I mean, female Alphas are so rare in noble circles anyway, you were just a surprise is all. That and facility Alphas are always a wild-card."

Moonbyul gave her a look of vague surprise.

"You're not from a facility then?"

Wheein shook her head, a considerate sort of smile on her face.

"Less of us are than you might think. It depends on the kingdom really. Some have a much more standardised facility system in place, whereas others have them more on a needs-be basis."

Moonbyul cocked her head to the side, curious.

"How do you know that?"

Wheein shrugged.

"I've been about a bit."

Moonbyul was about to ask what Wheein meant by that, but then caught herself, realising that she was running away with curiosity, and getting too comfortable working her way into the personal business of another person, an Alpha as they were. So she switched questions instead.

"What brought you to the Alpha choosing then?"

Wheein turned her face away, looking a little disgruntled.

"Well it wasn't exactly my choice. Few things are when you're an Alpha. And there's only so long circumstances and luck can allow an Alpha like me to get by without being married off."

Moonbyul nodded, choosing not to pry another further, feeling that she had already pushed enough. And for a few more minutes they walked in silence, slowly straying more and more from the main path until they were picking their way down worn side trails and over rocks and loose shrubs.

"How do you know where we're going?" Moonbyul asked, her curiosity eventually getting the better of her.

"I've been here before, once or twice."

Moonbyul watched Wheein with increased fascination as they continued on their way further into the undergrowth, intensely curious as to the life she must've lead to have seen and know so many things. For Moonbyul had thought that the only way an Alpha could be married off into high society was through a facility, and yet here was living proof that this was not the case, that there could be a life for an Alpha outside of desperate poverty, or else selling yourself as slave when you were barely thirteen years old.

"Are you actually going to tell me what we're doing?" Moonbyul asked, after another minute or so of silence, and Wheein turned to her and grinned.

"You'll see."

And indeed, in just a few more minutes, Moonbyul did see.

" _Oh_..."

The sight was breath-taking.

Wheein had led her all the way to the base of the waterfall, and to a large pool that opened up as the beautiful, raging torrent of water thundered down into it, then petered off to form the river that flowed under the bridge and then through the city. The bridge itself now stretched many metres above their heads, and sitting on the mounds of earth that climbed up on each side of the river, as well as both in and alongside the pool, were people. And not just people, but Alphas.

Although it was sometimes difficult to tell someone's dynamic just from looking at them, Moonbyul could tell instantly, even in the dark, that the vast majority of people here were Alphas. There was the scent of course, but also just their presence, and the way they interacted with each other, which made it clear that this was a party Omegas were not invited to.

Moonbyul turned to face Wheein with an undeniably awed expression on her face.

"What is this?"

"It's just something the Alphas like to do, every Spring Festival, when they can. Gives us a chance to interact with our own kind for a change, hear what's been going on in the other kingdoms." Wheein smirked, and her tone lowered slightly. "Swap gossip about our Omegas. It all happens here."

Moonbyul raised an eyebrow worriedly, a little sceptical as to her involvement in this, but Wheein just grinned and grabbed her hand once more. 

"Com'n you, let's have some fun."

Wheein led her out from under the bridge and over to a small outcrop of rocks, from which several Alphas were daring each other to jump off into a deep part of the pool below. And sitting a little ways off was Kyungseon, with Chansung on her left and several female Alphas Moonbyul didn't really recognise, on her right. When she spotted the two of them, she jumped up to greet them, and Moonbyul noticed that her hair was wet, most likely from having jumped in the river herself at some point earlier.

"Hey, Byul, Wheein! You made it!"

Wheein grinned, wrapping an arm around Moonbyul's shoulders.

"Sorry we're late, but I had to drag this one out of bed first."

"Well. Better late than never."

Although she had greeted them warmly, Moonbyul could tell that Kyungseon was quite occupied, and felt that Wheein had realised much the same thing, as she soon steered them away, and then turned to face her.

"Hey you, why the face?"

Moonbyul shrugged.

"It's just... a bit much is all."

Wheein rolled her eyes.

"You facility Alphas. Go on. Let loose for once, huh?"

Moonbyul nodded obligingly, not sure what else to say, and Wheein patted her firmly on the shoulder before leaving her adrift on the river bank. Almost immediately her left hand moved to clasp around her upper arm on the right, and she began chewing her lip, the repetitive motion somewhat of a comfort.

She spent a little while watching, trying to work out exactly how everyone was interacting with one another. And what caught her intrigue the most was just how touchy they all were. Skin on skin contact, to Moonbyul's mind, was the preserve only of Omegas onto their Alphas, and in their own circles of course, that of couples in other dynamic pairings. But down here, in the half-darkness of the moonlit waterfall pool, it was rife, and done so in a way Moonbyul had never really seen before, entirely platonically.

Well, mostly.

One couple had caught her eye, lips locked under a small overhang on the side of the pool near to the mountainside, and she had quickly averted her gaze, not allowing herself to wonder any further if the two of them were both Alphas, or if one or both happened to be some of the few Betas that were here also. For such a thing was not for her consideration.

However, as much as she felt obliged to join in, Moonbyul found herself quite uncomfortable with doing so. Because Alphas didn't behave like this, make groups like this, defy the orders of Omegas like this. And she didn't really want to be associated with ones that did. So she found herself drifting away from side of the pool to a flat rock further up the hillside, which is where Wheein eventually found her, hugging her knees up to her collarbone.

"Hey there stranger. What're you doing up here?"

Moonbyul didn't immediately reply to this, just gripped her knees a little tighter, a distinctly puzzled look on her face.

"Are we... allowed to do this?"

Wheein frowned, a slight divot forming in her forehead.

"How'd you mean?"

Moonbyul shrugged a little weirdly, as if to suggest the answer was obvious.

"I don't know... lots of Alphas all together, no supervision. I didn't think we were allowed this sort of freedom."

Wheein gave her a careful look, before she reclined back against the rocks and kicked her feet up, a cocky smile taking over her face.

"Who's to say what's allowed?"

Taken aback by this answer, but not wanting to be outdone in verbal combat, Moonbyul took the bait and grinned slyly.

"Well, for argument's sake, let's say your Lady Ahn caught us all out here. What would happen?"

Wheein scoffed audibly.

"I can assure you, Lady Ahn will not be coming down here."

" _I know that_. But let's just say she did."

Wheein rolled her eyes, but she dutifully gave thought to this for a moment.

"I don't know. She'd probably give me a hard time, but I daresay she probably wouldn't bother reprimanding anyone else. Because honestly, Omegas don't care enough about us to really give a shit Moonbyul, unless it's their own. And even then, it's an inconvenience not worth the time for most to have to keep constant tabs on their Alpha."

At this, the smile quickly vanished from Moonbyul's face, and she lent forward slightly, her face the picture of downcast.

"Yongsun would care..." she mumbled, almost to herself, but Wheein caught it regardless.

The older Alpha, for older she was, although Moonbyul had never asked after her age, watched Moonbyul carefully, her eyes tracking slowly over each feature. For despite her stoic upbringing, her facial expressions and body language were rather more revealing than perhaps she realised.

"It's not right you know."

Moonbyul hesitated for a second, as if having not quite understood, before she raised her head to look at Wheein.

"What?"

"The way she treats you."

Moonbyul frowned, and she turned away from Wheein once more to watch the water far below them, her hands moving to clasp together, arms bracing across her knees.

"It's... the way things are. And that's neither her fault nor mine."

Wheein exhaled shortly, turning her head away from Moonbyul for a moment before she followed up with a question, loaded with critical insinuation.

"Doesn't it upset you?"

Moonbyul hardly hesitated in her reply.

"I am her Alpha, and I am happy to be so."

Wheein let out a sigh of frustration.

"Moonbyul, that's not what I asked."

"But it's answer enough isn't it?" Moonbyul snapped suddenly, starling Wheein with the intensity in her eyes. "I'm as happy as I ever need to be with my position as Yongsun's Alpha. Why go searching for unhappiness when there is none?"

Taking care not to betray her surprise, Wheein pressed on this newfound untoward emotion that she had managed to invoke in Moonbyul.

"I merely hoped to ask if you had ever considered that things could be better. That you didn't have to give yourself up for servanthood to an Omega."

Wheein could see that Moonbyul was angry, and although she wasn't sure exactly why, she was intrigued by the change in her.

"Well maybe someone like you might call what I did giving up. But I didn't need to go to that facility Wheein. My parents would never have forced me and I know that. But I also know that it was what I needed to do. You might well say that I gave up. But I chose to serve Yongsun, even if you might not think it much of a choice at all."

As stony as her expression now was, Wheein couldn't help but betray a slight impressed look, somewhere in her eyes. For she had long been wondering if Moonbyul had any fire in her at all, and what she might need to do to finally reveal it.

"Don't you think it should be possible for Alphas to have the choice of autonomy also, not just the choice of the manner in which they serve?"

Moonbyul screwed up her face in obvious irritation. 

"Possibilities are all but irrelevant without means Wheein. Just because something is possible, does not mean it is either likely to, nor perhaps even should, be done. You can bleat for all it's worth to the unfairness of it all, but Omegas are Omegas and Alphas are Alphas, as is the way it is, and I don't intend to spend any of my time and energy fighting that."

There was a sharp tension then, between them, where Wheein felt it best that she stopped pushing for now, and eventually Moonbyul spoke again, in a quieter voice.

"You heard what Kyungseon said. It get's better."

Wheein averted her gaze, looking down at her feet.

"Yeah, I heard."

Moonbyul was silent for a long moment more, watching the short ripples in the water that passed them, all but remnants from the larger waves created by the splashing and playfighting of the Alpha's further up the pool. But eventually she spoke, in a low tone which Wheein had to focus on to catch all of.

"I would ask you not to speak ill of Yongsun. There's not much I can do rightly by her, but that is one thing I can do."

Wheein was surprised by this, not having expected such outright defence of an Omega from an Alpha which, as far as she could see, was suffering under Yongsun's domination.

"I didn't wish to offend you." Wheein hastened to add. "I can only ask of you, what there is to gain from defending her?"

Moonbyul met Wheein's gaze again, levelling her with a steady look.

"I would ask you in return, what is there to gain from not doing so? I have had no purpose for seven years and more but to be Alpha to my Omega. If I throw that away, where does that leave me? I am in no position to be critical of Omegas. And for what it's worth, I think it's better to find the goodness in someone unpleasant, than to insist they have none."

Wheein looked away, and for the first time in Moonbyul's perspective, had the grace to look a little guilty. But seeing this, so unusual a thing to see on Wheein's face, Moonbyul let out a resigning sigh.

"I don't wish to fight with you."

Wheein bit down delicately on her bottom lip.

"Me neither. I was just starting to like you."

Moonbyul let out an amused exhale through her nose.

"She's not so bad Wheein, really. And there are worse ways to live, believe me. I've seen them. And if things are good enough now, then I'm not going to risk that, just because they could be better."

Wheein nodded, her gaze staring long, so that it seemed she knew all too well exactly what Moonbyul meant.

"I know."

And although the tension had eased somewhat, there was a still an underlying question about Wheein that was bothering Moonbyul, so much so that she couldn't keep quiet about it.

"Did something happen to you?"

Wheein gave her a cautious glance.

"What do you mean?"

"With an Omega. Did something happen?"

Moonbyul could tell that she had finally struck a nerve in the unshakeable form of the Alpha by the way that reacted, no less in the fact that she reacted at all.

"I don't wish to elaborate on the background of my opinions. But just know that I have every considerable reason to be critical of Omegas."

It was obvious then to Moonbyul, that there was something in Wheein's apparently widely varied upbringing, concerning abuses from an Omega, or perhaps more than one. She hadn't quite been sure beforehand, but Moonbyul had lived long enough around deeply abused Alphas to suspect when she was confronted with one. And from all that she had seen, both inside and outside of the facility, Moonbyul knew full well the scale upon which such abuse could lie.

"I'm not saying that's wrong Wheein. I'm just appealing to you that you don't ask the same of me. Because I won't go against her."

Wheein was quiet for a moment longer, before she chanced a small grin.

"Isn't that what you're doing right now?"

Glad for an excuse to break the tension, Moonbyul pretended to look off into space, an expression of fake-innocence on her face.

"Well. She didn't say _explicitly_ that I couldn't go out at night and party with the Alphas of every noble across the entire country."

Wheein laughed then, an actual laugh, not a half-one.

"Glad to see you aren't completely teetotal on the rebellion front."

"I should hardly call it rebellion."

Relaxed again, Wheein found herself watching a small group of Alphas males, who were pushing and ducking each other under the water near the heavy spray of the waterfall.

"Tell you what. Let's do something here, a deal for a deal. You go swim through the waterfall, and for God's sake mingle with some Alphas for once, and I'll try my very best to see the goodness in your princess."

Moonbyul glanced at the base of the waterfall for a moment, then back up at Wheein.

"It's not much of a deal for you I would say."

"Perhaps I'm in a giving mood. It's not often you find such an optimistic Alpha as yourself."

A small smile tugged the corner of Moonbyul's mouth.

"Go on then. But only if you promise that we can be back in time for me to at least get some sleep. I wouldn't want to disappoint on the first day of the Spring Festival."

Wheein raised a hand to her forehead and saluted.

"I shall have her back by ten Mr Moon, and not a minute later."


	11. Don't Get Too Close

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for waiting so patiently for my updates, I love you all <3  
> Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

True to her word, Wheein got her back in bed with enough time for her to sneak a few hours of sleep in before the Alphas were woken up, bright and early the next morning. After a quick breakfast, they were escorted up to the palace by the same teenage Alpha that had led them down to the barracks, along with a few more Alpha and Beta servants. As they walked up the mountainside, organised into a line of pairs, they attracted much of the attention of passer-by's, many of who stopped to watch. And although Moonbyul was extremely used to being examined by those of a higher status than herself, it still made her feel uncomfortable and rather self-conscious.

The Alpha to her left was one that she hadn't had time to become acquainted to the night before, a broad-shouldered male which looked as if he had had his nose broken at least once before. He was handsome, in a roughish sort of way, and Moonbyul couldn't help but think that he looked every inch the sort of Alpha one would expect as consort to a royal. And not for the first time, she found herself wondering why Yongsun had chosen an Alpha like her, when there had been so many others at that choosing better suited.

The inside of the palace was no less grand than the outside, although again, was very different to the palace back in Ihaengyeo. It seemed much more open to Moonbyul, with fewer long, isolated corridors and boxed in staircases, and as a result seemed overflowing with activity, although this was probably just a result of preparations for the festival. Their guides led them right through the centre of all of this, and down into a big open room, which had had been sectioned up by dressing screens, in-between each pair stood a dressing stool.

They weren't told where to go, but it was pretty obvious to Moonbyul, as several sections along she spotted Jiae, alongside what was presumably a maidservant of Queen Sunghee's. Both were wearing matching servants' dresses with white pinafores, although Jiae's was grey and the unknown servant girl's was a dusky green. It was quite clear, even without being told, what she had to do, and so she stripped down quickly to her undershirt and shorts, before stepping up onto the stool to bare herself to the mercy of her outfitters.

It was perhaps vaguely humorous, the sight of so many muscular Alphas perched on little stools, in nothing but their underwear and thin, skin-tight shirts. But Moonbyul couldn't find it in herself to be amused. For absent of humour, the whole ordeal was strangely chilling, as there was a feeling of being stripped and prepared for display, like meat in a butcher's window, and it caused Moonbyul's stomach to twist quite unpleasantly.

First on were the socks, plain and unremarkable, but undamaged and a little uncomfortable. Brand new Moonbyul would've guessed. Then the trousers, plain black and in no particular style, which were then bound close to the ankle with braided white fabric. Moonbyul tried not to twitch in discomfort as the maidservants dressed her, but it was difficult, as she had grown to dislike long periods of physical contact over the years of her Alpha training. That is, unless it was from Yongsun.

The top half was rather more complicated, as it was built up in layers to form the final product. First was a plain grey undershirt with tightly woven braided sleeves, that seemed so complicated, Moonbyul couldn't begin to understand how it was made. Then a white over-shirt, heavy, with short sleeves and black embroidery on the shoulders. Then came the feature piece, a bright forest green tunic, with accents of silver and black. And sewn into the front was a strip of small metal chips, arranged and fixed onto the fabric to give the impression of silvery dragon scales. The tunic was fixed in place at the waist by a strip of gold fabric, pinned by a belt of grey leather and secured with a clasp at the hip. 

At this point, Moonbyul was already starting to feel overdressed. But they were far from done.

Next came the neckpiece, the same green as the tunic and with gold fastenings round the neck, to which a green cloak was attached, darker than the tunic and with a burnished bronze and gold pattern depicting the Ihaengyeo crest on the back. Then the final addition, affixed to her body with simple straps which would be tucked out of sight, a pair of gold wrist gauntlets and gold shoulder-guards, the first and Moonbyul presumed, only pieces of armour she was to wear. Too much and her clothes would start to become practical rather than performative.

Jiae and the other maidservant then stepped back to admire their handiwork, and allow her to step down from the stool herself and pull on her black army boots, kneeling to lace them up and then buckle the strap at the top. It was a strange novelty of sorts, to be so often wearing shoes, as she had been barefoot constantly back at the facility, and was often barefoot at the palace. And although the boots were understandably uncomfortable, there was a great sense of security in wearing them, which she rather liked.

Stepping out from behind the dressing screens, she joined the line of Alphas who had since been clothed themselves, and were now waiting to be escorted back out of the palace. Most of the Alphas had been dressed similarly, in some combination of overly decorated tunic, cloak and mismatched bits of armour. And just like Yongsun had predicted, most of them were also wearing some form of green, or else similar yellows and blues.

And although she tried not to, Moonbyul couldn't help but watch those Alphas that were still being dressed, one of which was Kyungseon. The tall female Alpha was looking impressive in an outfit of mostly darks and silvers, a far cry from the lighter tones being used on most of the others, and the final addition on her head was a dark iron, almost thorn-like crown. Stepping down from her stool, she caught Moonbyul's eye for a second and winked at her, just as Moonbyul hastily averted her gaze.

Moonbyul was unsure exactly how many Alphas were in attendance at this year's Spring Festival, but the line of waiting Alphas had grown into something reminiscent of a small army by the time the last one was fully dressed and they were then escorted back through the centre of the palace and out into the open courtyard. And Moonbyul was surprised to see that all the nobles were already gathered there, dressed to the nines in their finery. Swallowing nervously, she tried to subtly look through the crowd, searching for Yongsun, and eventually spotted her over to the far right, talking with a small group of two Omega males and one female.

She was, in Moonbyul's humble opinion at least, looking quite beautiful, her dress white with dark yellow accents, that complemented her white-blonde hair perfectly. Wrapped around her shoulders was a thick velvet cloak in emerald green, with an ermine trim around the neck and Moonbyul noticed, when Yongsun moved it aside slightly to shake someone's hand, a luxurious gold lining. Many of the royals were wearing similar ermine cloaks, and Moonbyul found that she didn't like them much. It was a bit ostentatious to say the least, and extended past the need of it's purpose. But that was Omega royalty all over.

There was a long waiting period in which the Omegas talked amongst themselves, and the Alphas stood silently at the side, until they were interrupted by the arrival of a number of finely dressed horses, each with hangings that had the crest of the appropriate kingdom stitched onto it. Moonbyul, distracted as she was by the arrival of the horses, then hastily stood to attention, as she noticed Yongsun was making her way over to her. The Omega stopped about a metre in front of her, and after a moment's hesitation, Moonbyul risked making eye contact.

Yongsun's hand was resting lightly on her chin, considering her with an intense gaze, and Moonbyul had to force herself to stand tall and proud, despite every inch of her body telling her to buckle under the pressure and submit. But then the corner of Yongsun's mouth turned up into a slight smile, and Moonbyul felt the tension in her chest ease slightly. 

"You look... quite excellent."

Moonbyul inclined her head forward.

"I am pleased to be to your satisfaction your majesty."

Reacting little to Moonbyul's auspicious use of your majesty, rather than her name, Yongsun took hold of Moonbyul's wrist and turned on the spot.

"Come."

Weaving through the crowd, which was made much easier by the fact that most stepped out of their way as they approached, Yongsun led Moonbyul over to her waiting horse. The horse itself was a proud-looking dapple grey, with a soft white stripe ranging from it's forehead down to it's muzzle. And although it was decidedly docile, Moonbyul couldn't help but shy away from it. She had never really been this close to a horse, save for the other day when travelling in the carriage, and if she was honest, they scared her. For they were larger and more muscular than any animal she had ever come across, and she couldn't help but think how terrible it would be to get on the wrong side of one.

"Alpha?"

Realising she had been ignoring Yongsun, Moonbyul snapped her attention onto her.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"Help me up would you?"

Moonbyul hesitated for the briefest moment, glancing nervously at the horse, before she nodded.

"Of course your majesty."

Moving to crouch down on one knee next to the horse, she interlocked her fingers and rested them on her leg, and when Yongsun stepped on them, she pushed upwards, bearing her weight as she stood up and in turn, boosted Yongsun high enough that she could reach the saddle. The horse shifted slightly as Yongsun settled herself, and Moonbyul visibly recoiled, which Yongsun of course, noticed.

"What's wrong Alpha?" she asked, rather sharply.

"I... am not familiar with horses Yongsun."

A smirk immediately replaced Yongsun's slight frown.

"Don't tell me my big, strong Alpha is scared of a horse?"

"It's... bigger and stronger than me Yongsun."

Still smiling, Yongsun busied herself with adjusting the reins before she spoke again.

"Well. It's a good thing you won't be riding one then, hmm?"

"Indeed, Yongsun."

Moonbyul took a hasty step back as Yongsun guided her horse over to the rest of the Omegas and then backed up as far as she could manage, as two Beta guards opened the front gates to the palace and the Omegas at last, began to file out one by one on their horses, much to the excitement of the watching public. The noise of the crowds just outside the gates was enough to turn anyone's stomach with nerves, and Moonbyul was glad that she wasn't first in line of the Alpha part of the procession. From where she was, it was kind of hard to see who _was_ first, but it was most likely the Alpha of Queen Sunghee, or perhaps that of one of her children, presuming they were old enough to have one. 

"Hey, you good?"

Only briefly startled by Wheein appearing suddenly at her shoulder, she smiled and nodded.

"Yeah. Just... a little nervous."

"I could tell. You're pretty jittery."

Moonbyul sighed a little in frustration.

"I can't help it. My coping mechanism for stress and anxiety was always to work out. So when I can't do that, I start fidgeting. And this outfit is far from helping matters."

"Hey look, it'll be okay. Just play the part and you'll be fine. It's all just a show, remember?"

Moonbyul glanced at Wheein with wide eyes, before she took in a heavy breath and exhaled it slowly.

"Yeah. Okay."

Wheein gave her a firm punch to the shoulder and grinned.

"Excellent. And hey," Wheein started, lowering her voice to mumble in Moonbyul's ear. "Nice job on that waterfall dare last night."

Moonbyul smiled and tilted her head back slightly.

"It wasn't that hard. Though I haven't gone swimming since I was a kid."

Wheein raised her eyebrows.

"You're kidding? There was no heated pool at the facility?"

Moonbyul smirked and shook her head, pushing Wheein firmly with the base of her hand.

"Idiot."

There was a moment of quiet between them then, which Moonbyul let the noise of the crowd outside the gates fill, before she hesitantly spoke up.

"I'm glad you took me Wheein. And I'm sorry we had that argument."

Wheein shrugged, a little offhandedly.

"It was my fault, I provoked you. I shouldn't have said anything. You were just worried about pleasing Yongsun, and there's nothing wrong with that."

Moonbyul was quiet for another moment before she spoke up again.

"Do you not worry about pleasing Hyejin?"

Wheein gave her a steady look, and just like last night, Moonbyul noticed that what she had said had caused a reaction in her, however minor. But then the older Alpha shrugged, tilting her head back slightly.

"Sometimes. But I don't think she cares as much as Yongsun does."

Moonbyul nodded, and looked as if she were about to say something more, but was interrupted by a shout from the other side of the gates, and seconds later, they began to open once more. Squeezing Moonbyul's shoulder firmly, Wheein nodded encouragingly.

"Looks like we're up. Guess I'll see you on the other side, Alpha."

Moonbyul managed a small smile, and after another small tap on her shoulder, Wheein retreated towards the back of the line, leaving Moonbyul sandwiched between two other Alphas of royals. The royal Alphas would of course, be leading the procession in importance, and Moonbyul was glad that Yongsun seemed not to be of high enough status to afford her a prime role.

The procession this time was a lot slower than the Omega one, presumably because they were walking and not on horses, but this only gave Moonbyul more time to get anxious. Looking down, she noticed her hands were trembling and she clasped them tight behind her back, clenching hard enough that she was sure her knuckles must be turning white. Moonbyul was never one to deal with pressure too well, and was always looking for a distraction whenever she was in a situation which forced her to be alone with her thoughts. But right now all she could think about was letting Yongsun down, and how that absolutely could not happen.

Considering how agonising the wait had been, Moonbyul's turn came sooner than she expected, and she gritted her teeth hard before stepping out through the gates and onto the road, each and every step an effort.

There were perhaps even more people than Moonbyul had thought there would be, thronging the passage of the procession line, that wound through the centre of the city all the way down to the tournament ground. Judging by the overall scent, most of them were Betas, but as she stepped out into the light and the noise, her gaze focused on the back of the Alpha in front, she was sure that she could see both Alphas and Omegas in the crowd also.

And even though she was surrounded by more people than she had ever encountered in her life, Moonbyul had never been in a situation where she felt more isolated. Solidarity, in the form of the Alphas in front and behind, was several metres out of reach either way, and the watching crowds offered little comfort. In fact, the potent stare of so many judging eyes was making her legs feel weak and close to buckling, so much so that she had to put every ounce of her concentration and restraint into keeping up her steady pace.

The noise of her boots helped, not least in the fact that she could hardly hear them over the constant chatter of those watching, but the rhythm alone was soothing. The consistent dull thuds as the heavy sole made contact with the cobbled street, the firmness of her own feet pushing back against something already so solid. As insignificant as it would seem to anyone else, to her, it made the unbearable walk bearable.

She caught snatches of remarks made as she passed, and never reacted in response to any of them, as was the way, which was not to say that none of them got to her. Most didn't, as they were superficial comments at best, but two sorts did bring up a rise in her, no matter how hard she tried to stifle it. The first was comments on Yongsun, the unfavourable ones of course, presumably brought on by the sight of the Ihaengyeo crest on her cloak. For they reminded her of what Kyungseon had said back in the barracks, about Yongsun being a 'dark horse'. For what was it that people had heard about Yongsun, that she had yet to know?

The second was comments, perhaps more understandably, about herself. Although not every comment of course, only the ones about her body. The ones which ventured into territories uncomfortable at best and vulgar at worst, and that made her wish more than anything that she could disappear into the shadows and once again become just another forgettable Alpha, and not now the ever-performative Alpha to the princess.

And so it was with no small relief to Moonbyul when they finally reached the tournament ground and she was able to fall in line, shoulder to shoulder, with the other Alphas, facing the Omegas, raised up as they were on an ornate viewing platform, instead of the watching crowd. And although she knew she probably shouldn't, she couldn't help but search out Yongsun, and for a brief moment they locked eyes. Her gaze was mostly indiscernible as far as Moonbyul could make out, but there was definitely a hint of pride there, consolidated by the small nod that she gave Moonbyul just before the Alpha looked away again.

After a general swell of conversation, a hush fell over the crowd as a tall, imposing woman wearing a beautiful golden yellow dress and with a crown resting on her head, stood up from her throne in the centre of the now seated Omegas. And presumably this was Queen Sunghee.

Considering her age, Moonbyul was amazed by quite how beautiful Queen Sunghee was. And call it Alpha hormones, but Moonbyul was starting to think that there was maybe something in the supposed 'royalty gene'. For the Omegas sitting on the seats behind Queen Sunghee seemed to exude attractiveness and confidence like it was their natural scent. Though of course, none of them compared to Yongsun. Of course.

"Welcome, welcome, associates and citizens, to the annual Spring Festival. May our celebrations here this week lead to a year of glorious progress and cooperation, as each year before has set the precedence of."

There was a round of polite applause, and Moonbyul was amused to see the way Yongsun was watching the queen, with a similar sort of reverence one usually expected from an Alpha.

"And seeming as we have already introduced our esteemed guests that sit here before you, let us move onto their consorts. May I present to you, the chosen Alphas of the Nine Kingdoms of United Korea."

"Jesus..." Moonbyul muttered to herself, although obviously not quite quiet enough, as the Alpha to her right let out an amused exhale.

As for the reason for her muttering, it was quite simply because she hadn't, up until this point, been aware that the country was divided into quite so _many_ kingdoms. For although she had known it was a lot, nine seemed extraordinary for such a small country. And it was then that the whole idea of the annual festival really began to make sense. With so many kingdoms in competition with each other, there had to be some way of keeping everyone away from conflict. And just like Yongsun had said, a yearly festival bringing everyone in the country together, was a great incentive not to start a war.

After they had been introduced, Queen Sunghee continued with her speech and then the wait began, as various top Omegas gave speeches of their own, and by the time a Beta official rounded off the ceremony with a list of the coming week's events, which Moonbyul didn't care to pay much attention to, her whole body was aching from the effort of standing up straight and perfectly still.

"And now, to officially restart the Claimant Tournament, may last year's winner please give up their crown."

Moonbyul's ear pricked up, suddenly interested. Crown? What crown? And it was then that she noticed Kyungseon, who had been the Alpha placed at the centre of the line-up, step out in front of the rest of them and approach the Queen, going down on one knee before her and bowing her head, so that she could take the iron crown off of her head.

Oh, of _course_.

Thrown off by the fact that Kyungseon had stated herself as Alpha to a princess and not a queen, Moonbyul hadn't even considered the fact that Kyungseon was playing on home turf. But it had all been right there in front of her. The confidence, the knowledge of the area, the openness to speak as she liked about her Omega. And of course, the difference in her procession outfit, no less the addition of the iron crown, which now finally made sense.

Princess Boyoung had to be Queen Sunghee's daughter then, and presumably was the elegant Omega sitting closest to the right of the Queen's central throne. And yeah, she was pretty, as pretty as a princess obviously would be. But again, she was nowhere near as pretty as Yongsun. 

And finally the opening ceremony came to a close, and the Omegas began to file down from the stage, some engaged in conversation, others walking alone. Alphas here and there along the line began disappearing, collected by their Omegas as they passed, and it was quite a while before Yongsun did the same, approaching her with a smile.

"Impressive form Alpha. You did well."

Moonbyul bowed her head.

"Thank you your majesty."

Smiling slightly to herself, Yongsun gestured slightly with her hand for Moonbyul to follow, as she began making her way slowly out of the main crowd, and into a less densely populated part of the area surrounding the tournament ground.

"Any reason you're not using my name?" she asked, quite suddenly.

A little taken aback by the question, it took Moonbyul a few seconds to form an answer.

"I... thought it appropriate, when in a crowd of such influential Omegas, to refer to you by your official title, Yongsun. I did not wish them to think less of you."

Yongsun nodded.

"I see."

They moved in silence for a moment more, until Yongsun asked her another question over her shoulder, not turning to look at her to do so.

"Did they tell you what you're doing today?"

"No Yongsun."

"Well for today, you'll mostly be following me, okay?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Yes Yongsun."

They walked in silence for a moment more, and Moonbyul took the opportunity to take in her surroundings, now that she was encased on all sides by throngs of local onlookers. But then Yongsun was talking again, and she made sure to pay absolute attention.

"It's an open market all the first day. Good opportunity, what with all the people. Goods and specialties from all over the kingdom get displayed at the Spring Festival every year. It's one of the reasons why it's so good to win it, gives the economy a lift. And for us, well, it gives us a chance to settle in before the proper events start."

Moonbyul nodded her understanding, trying her best both to look interested in her surroundings, but also remain disinterested enough that it didn't seem as if she was ignoring Yongsun.

"You ever been to a market?" Yongsun asked, stopping to look over a stall.

"No Yongsun."

Yongsun made a small, dismissive sort of humming noise.

"Pity. I've heard the one back home is pretty good, in the right season."

Moonbyul bowed her head and answered in a quiet voice.

"I've never had the money, Yongsun."

Yongsun turned to look at her for a moment, before placing the item she had been examining back onto the stall and moving on.

"Of course."

They carried on round the market in this manner for the rest of the morning, Moonbyul standing respectfully just behind Yongsun and holding anything she happened to buy, which wasn't an awful lot considering. For most of that morning she spent talking to stall owners and the other Omegas, swapping stories about their home kingdoms and getting to know more about each other's family lines. Moonbyul listened in cautiously, whenever something caught her attention, but most of the time she found that she couldn't be bothered, and so instead she spent her time people watching.

It was fast becoming a fascination for her to just stand and watch the way different people interacted with each other, and particularly the way Alphas did. Most stood silently behind their Omegas, the way that she was doing, but some she noticed were more involved in the conversations, and some were even holding some of their own, in small groups and pairings away from their respective Omegas.

"Alpha."

Moonbyul shook her head sharply and turned her gaze back towards Yongsun.

"Yes, Yongsun?"

"I'd like you to take my purchases over to Jiae. She'll take them up to my quarters."

Moonbyul nodded.

"Of course Yongsun. And what would you like me to do after?"

Yongsun gave her an amused look.

"Just... wait around for a bit. I'll find you in time for the banquet."

Nodding again, Moonbyul adjusted the items she was carrying so that she had a more secure grip on them, and then set about finding Jiae.

It wasn't hard to find the young girl, as many of the maidservants had formed their own little group on the seats of the tournament ground. As usual, she was stared at by most of them as she approached, but Jiae was quick to obey Yongsun's wishes and Moonbyul was only too glad to be able to get out of there before she could unwittingly make eye contact with another one of them. Stepping back out of the tournament ground, Moonbyul paused for a moment, leaning against the wall and inhaling deeply. Already she could feel her hands trembling again, and she clasped them behind her back once more, willing herself to get her nerves under control. 

"Hey you."

Startled, Moonbyul looked up to see Kyungseon standing in front of her.

"Oh. Hey."

"Your princess finally leave you alone for two seconds?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Seems that way."

"Well thank God, because I've been looking for an opening to talk to you."

Moonbyul raised her eyebrows, surprised.

"Yeah?"

"Of course. It's your first year and I wanted to see how you're doing. Plus it's sorta my duty to welcome you to the wonderful kingdom of Yeokjo."

Moonbyul nodded.

"So you uh, were champion last year then?"

"Oh yeah. Almost can't believe I didn't mention that yesterday. I guess it never came up."

"Is it hard to win?"

"Kind of. The whole claimant prize pretty much just relies on hand to hand combat, so if you're any good at fighting, it shouldn't be too difficult."

Moonbyul pulled a face and Kyungseon chuckled.

"What?"

"I've never really been in a fight before. Only once actually, during the Alpha choosing."

"Well don't keep me in suspense. Did you win it?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Well there you go." Kyungseon said, slapping her on the back. "You'll do fine buddy. Just think of it as fighting for the heart of that pretty princess of yours."

Crossing her arms and shaking her head, Moonbyul smirked sceptically.

"With all due respect Kyungseon, I don't think I'll ever win Yongsun's heart. Seems like the sort of thing that's not up for competition."

"Yeah but what's stopping you from trying, hmm?"

Not to be outdone, Moonbyul retorted quickly.

"Have you won _your_ princess's heart yet?"

Kyungseon nodded thoughtfully.

"I think I'm getting there."

The two of them talked for a little while longer, mostly about each other's princesses, before Kyungseon cut herself off mid-sentence, looking at something over Moonbyul's shoulder.

"Speak of the devil, here comes your dynamite blonde. Which reminds me, I have a princess of my own to find." Kyungseon said, patting Moonbyul on the shoulder as she passed. "See you at the banquet, okay?"

Moonbyul nodded and Kyungseon gave her the thumbs up as she walked away, stopping and bowing to Yongsun as she passed, who acknowledged her with a curt nod. Standing up a little straighter, she tried to fix her expression into one of pleasant surprise.

"Yongsun? Were you not wanting to peruse the market still?"

Yongsun gave a dismissive shake of her head.

"I got bored."

Moonbyul made a silent 'ah' sound and nodded, bowing her head and averting her gaze away from Yongsun.

"Did you find Jiae alright?"

Moonbyul nodded again.

"Yes Yongsun."

Yongsun was quiet for a moment before she gestured up towards the main road.

"Come, let's head back up to the palace."

A little surprised by this change of plan, but all too willing to follow Yongsun anywhere, Moonbyul stuck close behind the princess as they made their way up the main road, leaving the noise and busyness of the market behind them. Yongsun had taken the path that crossed the bridge over the waterfall, and Moonbyul was overwhelmingly pleased when Yongsun stopped for a moment, leaning against the edge of the bridge and watching the water thunder down.

"It's a shame we have nothing like this back home." she remarked, her eyes slightly unfocused. "It's quite the spectacle."

Moonbyul nodded in agreement and stood a little way off from Yongsun to watch the waterfall herself. For although she had gotten plenty enough of a view of it last night from down below, it was an entirely different sight from high up. And perhaps what attracted her to it was it's power and size, a great behemoth of water that would wash away anyone that got in it's way, Alpha, Beta or Omega. Waterfalls had no prejudice, as didn't nature, and Moonbyul couldn't help the odd fleeting wish that one day she might be able to live in the wild, and not be cooped up in the city the rest of her life, no matter how implausible a wish this really was.

Too soon though, Yongsun had moved on from the waterfall and within minutes they had reached the palace again, at which point it had long gone midday. Yongsun led her through the palace unaided, full of a confidence that Moonbyul could scarcely fathom where it came from, before they stopped at the end of the main hall, just outside the double doors leading into the banquet hall. 

"You should get ready for the banquet. You don't have to change, but you should probably take off all the accessories. They'll only get in the way."

Nodding her understanding, Moonbyul took herself to the side of the main hall, she started by unclipping the neck-piece and taking off both it and the attached cloak, folding them and placing them on one of the benches lining the walls. To this small pile she then added her shoulder-guards and her wrist gauntlets, before returning to Yongsun for consideration. And she looked her over for a moment before humming through a nod.

"Good enough."

Yongsun then turned and began walking again, and Moonbyul hastened to keep up with her.

"We'll be sat separately, so I expect you to wait afterwards for me to find you. I may be a while, depending on conversation."

"Yes Yongsun."

There was a pause then, during which Yongsun looked at her rather critically.

"I see you've been talking to other Alphas."

Moonbyul's eyes widened slightly in fear, wondering if Yongsun was cross with her, though she couldn't really tell from her current expression. But then that ever indeterminable look on Yongsun's face morphed into a careful smile, and she reached up a hand to stroke her thumb gently across Moonbyul's cheek before dropping it.

"This festival is a time for celebration, and I want you to enjoy yourself. But... don't get too close to any Alphas. When we're back in Ihaengyeo, you won't be able to see them again till next year."

Moonbyul nodded solemnly, the message in Yongsun's words quite clear. Seeming satisfied by this, Yongsun lent forward and gave Moonbyul a quick kiss on the cheek before patting her head and ruffling her hair slightly.

"Be a good Alpha for me, okay? And I'll see you after."

***

Wheein swallowed softly as Hyejin shut the door behind them, trapping them together in the small side room as she began pacing, a deep frown on her face.

"She's quite devoted?" she asked, not looking up at Wheein.

Wheein hesitated for a moment before responding.

"I think there's... potential."

Hyejin threw her a look of disgust, stopping mid-pace to look at her.

" _Potential_. What am I supposed to do with that Wheein?"

"It's still early days Hyejin-"

Wheein's words died in her throat as Hyejin stormed up close to her, until their faces were no more than a few inches apart.

"Early days have come and gone Wheein. Things are going to start moving very soon, and I need to know that you're on board." She then lent in closer still, close enough for her exhales to hit the side of Wheein's neck, as her next words came out as a whispered growl. "Don't make me regret mating you."

She withdrew, a knowing look in her eyes as she fixed them onto Wheein's, and the Alpha averted their gaze, buckling for one of the first times under Hyejin's stare.

"Yes my lady."

Nodding dismissively, and with a hint of pride in her posture, Hyejin turned away from her to leave. 

"Good. You just make sure it stays that way."

***

In order to get to the Alpha part of the opening banquet, they had to pass through the main banquet hall and down a set of stairs, into a room that was actually part of the kitchens more than it was a dining area. And unlike the Omega table, there were no individual chairs here, only two long wooden benches either side of the table, bare of any cloth or decoration.

There were a few Alphas there already when Moonbyul entered, but she was still one of the first down, early enough in fact for the table to not even have been laid yet. And as the minutes passed and the Alphas began to slowly trickle in, she found herself taken up with the task of assisting and gladly did so. For although she would be forever grateful for Yongsun for providing her with such a fortunate position in society, one thing she missed from before she had become her consort was just simply _work_.

Back at the facility, whenever they weren't doing drills, or engaged in lessons of Alpha etiquette, or being whipped for the slightest insubordination, they would undertake work duty. Most often it was hardest, most menial jobs available. Digging, stone breaking, wood chopping, oakum-picking and fetching and carrying heavy loads. Occasionally, especially during planting and harvesting times, a group of them would be rounded up and sent down to help on the local farm, set to the hardest jobs and all for free.

But although the work had often been back-breaking and merciless to those not used to it, Moonbyul couldn't help but miss it. Under Yongsun's care, there was just nothing for her to do, except look pretty and be at her constant beck and call. And Moonbyul missed the sense of purpose she had had when working, or at the very least the knowledge that she was doing something useful. For she wasn't used to a life of doing practically nothing, and was finding it hard to adjust.

So, in tandem with several Beta servants and several other Alphas, she helped set out the wooden bowls, cups, spoons and chopsticks. Then the large jugs of water and what smelled like some sort of beer, though it was evidently of poor quality. By this time, the small room was thronged with Alphas, most reclining on the benches and messing about with each other, talking, laughing and playfighting. And as she was carrying in one of the last of the jugs, Moonbyul took a second to watch all this and smiled to herself. For this was really the first time she had seen so many Alphas so close together, and all so happy and contended with each other, as if they were every bit as free and able to enjoy life as their Omegas were.

"How'd they saddle you with this, huh?"

Moonbyul glanced up and saw Kyungseon grinning at her, leaning against a wooden pillar with her arms crossed. And Moonbyul quickly shook her head.

"Oh no, it's fine. I wanted to help. I kind of miss the work."

"Mmm, I hear that. Being the resident trophy Alpha does sometimes have it's drawbacks."

"Of course I'm grateful to Yongsun," Moonbyul hastened to add. "Being a princess's Alpha is the highest honour there is after all."

Kyungseon tilted her head forward slightly, her expression still one of amusement.

"I meant not to insinuate otherwise."

Moonbyul began chewing on her bottom lip out of habit from nervousness.

"Do you not have... others, you'd rather sit with?"

Kyungseon shrugged.

"Sure I do. But I've got all week for them. Come sit next to me and Chansung when you have a moment. And please, bring Wheein with you, if you can find her."

Oddly enough, Moonbyul hadn't seen Wheein the whole time she had been down here, and it was actually a few minutes later that she finally appeared, the last Alpha to do so, and just as the Beta serving staff were laying out the dishes in the centre of the table. Moonbyul hastily made her way over to her before she could sit down, garnering her attention with a gentle touch on her right shoulder.

"Hey, where have you been? I've been waiting."

Wheein looked caught for a moment, as if struggling to find an answer, before she shook her head dismissively.

"Oh, nothing. Just got lost."

Moonbyul nodded, well understanding that in a place as big as this, with no guidance and without knowing where you were even allowed to go, it would be pretty easy to lose your way.

"Kyungseon wants us to sit with her."

Wheein ran a hand through her short hair, fussing over it for a moment, distracted, before she turned and grinned at Moonbyul.

"Best not keep her waiting then."

Moonbyul ended up closest to Kyungseon, with the taller Alpha on her right and Wheein on her left. Chansung was on Kyungseon's other side, and smiled warmly at her, bowing his head by way of a greeting. And despite not having been able to exchange a single word, Moonbyul found that she already quite liked Chansung, his simple charming character able to shine through despite his lack of speech.

The food was good, better in fact than any she'd ever had before, for although it wasn't all that fancy, it was certainly not peasant food, nor was it the sort they had forced down every day at the facility. But what she was enjoying most about the meal was the company, and that feeling of camaraderie that she had been missing with the Alphas she had spent her life with in the facility. For these Alphas were loud and happy, a little drunk perhaps some of them, but only too willing to talk and engage with anyone who wanted to listen.

But it was then that Moonbyul remembered Yongsun's words. _Don't get too close_. But what was too close? What _wasn't_ too close? And how could she possibly hope to separate the two, when every Alpha here presumably had a different definition of what too close was. Her head swimming with the complexity of what went into forming meaningful yet appropriate relationships, Moonbyul focused back on her plate and spent the rest of the meal really only interacting with Wheein. For it wasn't as if she could be expected to avoid her, seeming as they were from the same kingdom and home city.

Most Alphas, even when finished with their food, stayed in the small kitchen dining area in order to chat, with only a few excusing themselves to be at the beck and call of their Omegas once more. And remembering what Yongsun had said to her, Moonbyul found herself confused as what to do. She had told her to wait yes, but wait where? For she couldn't imagine that Yongsun herself would ever make her way down to a room such a this. So maybe she would send Jiae? But how could she be sure that she would?

Moonbyul hated this, all the questions and uncertainties that came with being consort to a royal Omega, where nothing was ever made clear and yet it seemed she was just expected to know what to do. For before the festival, things had been a little more simple. Just do what Yongsun told her to do and don't do anything else. But now they were both in a domain outside of their direct control, Moonbyul was struggling to know how best to obey.

Eventually she decided a middle ground was the only way to make sure she covered all bases, and she excused herself to go climb the stairs leading back up to the main banquet hall, where she then waited in the hallway between the two. Just as Yongsun had said, she was a long time coming, long enough for Moonbyul to catch many glimpses on the edge of her vision, of Omegas leaving the banquet hall to go and find their Alphas, or else on some other business. But eventually she appeared, her eyes roving as if looking for something, presumably her.

"Come," she said, beckoning behind her as already she had began to set a brisk pace away from Moonbyul. "I'll show you my room, since we have the time."

Moonbyul nodded and followed Yongsun through the winding stairs and hallways of the palace until they reached a corridor with plush carpet and richly decorated wallpaper. Here, Yongsun turned to her and pointed to a small indent by the stairwell.

"Take your boots off here."

Hastening to obey, Moonbyul knelt and undid the laces with deft fingers, as Yongsun had already started walking again, seemingly presuming her to catch up. Leaving her boots by the stairwell, she followed Yongsun in her socks to a sliding door partway along the corridor. Pulling it back, she stepped inside, and Moonbyul followed cautiously.

In style alone, it was not unlike the rooms they had occupied in many of the traditional boarding houses they had stopped in along the way to Yeokjo, but differed in a big way to all of these in both it's size and opulence. The bed, rather than being raised up on a frame, was on the floor, in classic hanok style, though looked every bit as comfortable. There was a fireplace opposite the bed, to the right of the door, and a dressing table at the far end, and every wall was lined with beautifully stitched tapestries. Yongsun's luggage had been stacked in a neat pile in the corner, and her clothes presumably taken out and hung in the wardrobe and dresser either side of the dressing table.

"Nice isn't it?" Yongsun remarked, moving to sit on the bed.

"Indeed Yongsun."

"Of course, it's not home, but it's quite adequate."

Feeling as if Yongsun wanted her to sit too, she did so, but on the carpet next to the bed, crossing her legs and facing Yongsun obediently. 

"Was the meal to your satisfaction?" Yongsun asked, having picked up a hairbrush from where it had been discarded on the bed, and beginning to tidy up her hair.

"Yes Yongsun."

"Talk to anyone?"

Moonbyul hesitated for a second before answering.

"Only to Wheein really."

Yongsun ran the brush through her hair a few more times before placing it back down on the mattress and resting a hand gently against her jaw, humming slightly to herself.

"Mmm. I see."

Moonbyul risked a glance up at her before averting her gaze once more.

"We have a few hours relaxation now before tonight's entertainment. It's a dance performance I'm told."

Moonbyul nodded considerately.

"I've never seen one before."

Yongsun tilted her head to the side and smiled.

"Strange. Me neither."

Moonbyul raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Really?"

"I've attended many dances Moonbyul. But never a performance. They are very different affairs, even if you are but an observer at both."

Moonbyul dropped her gaze before she answered, in a quiet voice.

"It seems this is a great time of firsts, Yongsun."

Yongsun smiled again, watching Moonbyul intently.

"I suppose it is." 

***

As promised, they spent a good few hours in Yongsun's room, Moonbyul mostly leaning against Yongsun's shoulder and listening to her talk, or else allowing her hair to be played with as Yongsun read her book. But then Jiae had knocked on the door and informed them that the performance was to start soon, and the peaceful quiet of the moment finally came to an end. And Moonbyul for one was just scared that there might again be something she needed to do that she wasn't adequately prepared for.

The dance performance was to take place inside, in a theatre somewhere near the centre of the city, and as it was late evening, Yongsun wore her velvet cloak, and insisted Moonbyul wear hers too. And as they filed into the theatre, Alphas at the heels of their Omegas, Moonbyul noticed something odd about the way the seats were set out. They were in groups of three or more, with at least two on an even level, and then always just one slightly behind. Presumably this was to be the seat of the Alpha, and judging by those already seated, she had presumed right.

Each Omega had their own assigned seat, and Yongsun's was more towards the back, but still relatively central. And judging by the types of Omegas and where they were sitting, importance seemed to rise the higher up you were on the seats. Jiae was to occupy the seat to Yongsun's right, and Moonbyul sat in the seat to the left and behind only when Yongsun had settled herself.

The performance itself was unlike anything Moonbyul had ever seen before. When she had been much younger, before she had gone down to live in the facility, her father had taken her to see occasional amateur plays held in the centre of the slum districts, usually put on by poor Betas and the occasional Alpha, who usually played the comedic roles, or that of the villain. But this was perhaps as far from those raucous, ramshackle plays as it was possible to imagine.

Moonbyul was enraptured by the way the dancers moved, and how they could somehow tell a whole story with just their bodies and the accompanying music, history and culture itself played out before their eyes. And although she couldn't be sure, she was quite certain that at least one of the dancers was an Alpha. With muscles that pronounced, he surely couldn't be anything else. And Alpha himself or not, he was certainly playing the role of Alpha, as the story being told seemed to be the one of the formation of the nine kingdoms, and in particular, Yeokjo itself.

The performance ended when a dancer who was presumably meant to represent Queen Sunghee, was crowned, and the rest of the dancers all knelt and bowed before them. And, Moonbyul couldn't help but notice, in the absence of a real throne, that her presumed Alpha was playing substitute. And it was in that moment that an odd sort of thought occurred to her, which was subsequently drowned out by applause. _That's not right_.

After another group bow, this time to the audience, and another round of applause, the performance finally came to an end, and they were allowed to file out into the cold night air. It was now considerably late, and many Omegas were retiring immediately to bed, leaving their Alphas to head back alone to the barracks. But Yongsun, her cloak wrapped close around her shoulders, seemingly had a different idea, as Moonbyul had barely made it two steps in the direction of the barracks before Yongsun's hand closed around her wrist.

"Wait."

Moonbyul stopped immediately, turning back to fully face Yongsun once more.

"Come."

Still holding onto her wrist, Yongsun guided her off the main road, and away from the prying eyes of any other Omegas, down one side of the theatre, where she then stopped and released her grip on her wrist.

"I bought you something."

Moonbyul raised her eyebrows in surprise as Yongsun reached into the bag she had affixed to the waist of her dress, and withdrew something which fitted closely into the palm of her hand, so that Moonbyul couldn't quite see what it was. But then Yongsun had reached out and tugged her hand forwards once more, pressing the item into it.

"Go on." Yongsun said, biting her lip and smiling, a look of childish anticipation on her face. "Take a look."

Trying not to look too nervous, Moonbyul opened her hand and looked at what Yongsun had bought for her. At first she didn't quite see what it was, but as she titled her head to the side it suddenly came to her. It was a small wooden carving of a flower, intricately etched into the soft wood base, each petal polished smooth and shiny.

"It's a rose. Remember?"

Moonbyul swallowed softly and nodded.

"I remember."

Yongsun beamed and Moonbyul smiled weakly back at her, not wanting her to think that she was being unappreciative, though she was struggling to work out exactly how she should react, considering that married Alphas were not technically supposed to own any personal property.

"Thank you, Yongsun. I don't know what to say."

Yongsun tilted her head to the side, still smiling.

"Let's call it a good luck charm, hmm? For the tournament."

Moonbyul nodded.

"I think that would be appropriate."

Still looking undeniably pleased with herself, Yongsun took hold of Moonbyul's chin between her thumb and forefinger and kissed her gently. Not wanting to look ungrateful, Moonbyul moved with her, kissing her back, and Yongsun lingered for a moment, smiling against her mouth. And when she pulled away, Moonbyul caught another momentary glimpse of her canines.

"Y'know. I've never kissed anyone else but you. But I'm pretty sure you're good at it."

Moonbyul couldn't help but avert her gaze awkwardly.

"I wouldn't have thought so. I've never kissed anyone else either."

Shaking her head slightly, Yongsun cupped her hand under Moonbyul's chin to manoeuvre the Alpha's eyes back onto her. 

"Guess it's natural talent."

Moonbyul was then sure she must've blushed at this, as Yongsun smirked and kissed her again, before nudging her shoulder slightly.

"Go on then. Go back to your barracks, and I'll see you in the morning." 

She paused for a moment, adjusting her cloak that had become slightly dislodged from her shoulders, before smiling at her once more.

"Tomorrow's a big day."


	12. The Alpha Games

"What is it we're doing again?"

Kyungseon grinned at Moonbyul, amused by her confused expression.

"You never heard of capture the flag?"

Moonbyul shook her head.

"Well I hope you're a fast learner," Kyungseon remarked, pulling the tunic down over her head and subsequently covering her abs, that Moonbyul had made a pronounced effort not to look at.

Feeling a little self-conscious, Moonbyul pulled her shirt up and over her head and reached for her own plain white tunic, quickly tugging it on. Kyungseon however, had been focused on buckling her belt around her waist, and thankfully hadn't been watching her. Sitting back down on the bench of the changing rooms to pull on her boots, Kyungseon glanced at Moonbyul and grinned slightly at the lost look on her face.

"Here, I'll run you through it."

She patted the part of the bench to her left and Moonbyul sat down, reaching for her own boots as Kyungseon began to talk.

"There are thirty Alphas in this year's tournament right? So that's fifteen in each team, fifteen with white tunics like us and fifteen with black and each team has a flag, blue for us, red for them. Each member of our team will have two blue tags on their belt, and each member of there's will have two red tags. You following so far?"

Moonbyul nodded, beginning to tie the laces.

"Now, the aim of the game. The playing ground will be split into two halves, they'll make it obvious somehow, and on each side is a flag, blue for us, red for them. What we need to do is get their flag back to our base before they get ours back to theirs."

Moonbyul raised an eyebrow a little critically.

"So it's just whoever run's the fastest?"

Kyungseon smirked.

"Not exactly. You remember the tags?"

"Yeah."

"Well whenever you're in enemy territory, you're free game for any one of them to grab one of your tags. Every time you lose a tag, you have to go sit in the jail on their side. The only way you can get out of jail is if someone on your team gives you one of their tags."

Moonbyul nodded again.

"Okay, I get it. Basically it's just a lot of Alphas chasing each other around a field?"

"Well when you put it that way it doesn't sound nearly so glamourous."

Moonbyul laughed and Kyungseon nudged her shoulder good-naturedly, grinning lazily. And for a short moment there was quiet between them, before Moonbyul spoke up, and slightly troubled look on her face..

"How hard is it to get to the flag?"

Kyungseon tapped the side of her nose conspiratorially. 

"You'll see."

***

"Oh... wow."

Whatever Moonbyul had been expecting from Kyungseon's explanations, it hadn't been this.

The Alphas had been resigned to their barracks for most of the morning, nervously awaiting the first event of the tournament, before they had eventually been led out to get changed for what had then been announced to be a game of capture the flag. And Moonbyul had been wondering what sort of preparations would've taken quite so long to put in place. But now, well, it made perfect sense.

The inside of the tournament ground had been transformed, into something Moonbyul would imagine to be the greatest iteration of the attempts at imaginative play in childhood, had she of had a childhood significant and fortunate enough to experience this. On either side of the ground, extending up into the viewing stands, were two castle like structures, made up of various platforms and climbing frames decorated with wooden panels to look like turrets and walls. And on the very top turret of each, hung a flag, blue on their side, and red on the other, just like Kyungseon had said. And standing on the ground as they were, the flags were so high up, that Moonbyul could only just make out the coarsely coloured fabric fluttering lazily in the breeze.

The rest of the tournament ground had also been adapted, with many outcrops and obstacles to scale, dodge and hide amongst. Across the centre of the ground, a temporary wall had been set up, low enough to vault, which was presumably the dividing line between the two teams. A little further away from the fence on either side was another line, though it was no more than a furrow in the grass. And there, in the centre of each castle and towards the front so it could easily be seen from the right angle, was a temporary jail cell of four sets of wooden bars, with two benches inside.

"No expense spared huh?" Kyungseon said, grinning.

"You could say that." Moonbyul replied, still distracted by her examination of the detailed assault course in front of her.

Moonbyul eventually looked up however, as two blue tags were handed out to her on the roughened palm of a male Alpha, which turned out to be Chansung. Smiling at him, she took them and he nodded, moving on down the line of white-clad Alphas. Copying Kyungseon, she affixed the tags to either side of her belt and secured them, though she could see that the bond could easily be severed with a sharp tug from an opposing Alpha.

"You ready for this Alpha?"

Moonbyul glanced nervously over at the spectator stands of the tournament ground, having first found Yongsun among them as they had been walking out. Right now she was leaning over to listen to something Hyejin was saying to her, and didn't see her looking.

"I guess. But, does this mean anything? For the tournament?"

"It doesn't usually but it can do sometimes. They pretty much always do this on the first day though, break the Alphas in with a few team games before the fights get underway. Allows for us to get to know our opponents I guess. That and it's really good fun to watch."

Moonbyul glanced somewhat apprehensively at the rest of her team and bit down gently on the side of her bottom lip.

"Won't the male Alphas be able to... out-run us?"

Kyungseon gave her a look of slight disbelief, smiling to herself, before she realised that Moonbyul wasn't joking.

"Oh com'n you. Surely you know by now that men can't do shit better than we can. It's all just old stereotypes."

Appearing still unconvinced, Kyungseon looked up at the sky for a second or two, as if trying to think of a way to explain it.

"Look, no matter how good someone is at one thing, there's always something then that they can't do so well. Size exchanges for speed, strength for flexibility. Maybe they can out-run you but that's just on a straight stretch. All these obstacles to dodge around, you'll outwit them in a second."

Moonbyul smiled and ducked her head, somewhat shyly.

"You have a great deal more confidence in me than anyone ever has." 

Kyungseon grinned.

"Well then. Maybe it's about time some more people had confidence in you."

The initial rush of adrenalin however quickly wore off, and as the minutes ticked by, and the spectator stands quickly filled up, creating a buzz of excited anticipation in the air, Moonbyul began to get fidgety again. Noticing that a few other Alphas were taking the opportunity to stretch and limber up, Moonbyul did the same, just needing to do anything to take the unpleasant nervous edge off of the excess energy that was building up in her body. Kyungseon, who had been talking to the Alpha on her left, eyed her with amusement, with no such agitation of her own to act upon.

"I remember I was like you once."

Moonbyul frowned, flexing out her arm as she stretched it.

"How'd you mean?"

"Nervous. Wanting to impress. It's cute."

Moonbyul thought about this for a moment, and yet none such of her dwellings on the meaning behind it brought forth any reasonable conclusion. Tilting her head to the side, confused, she made sure to, not un-abrasively, question her on it.

"How else am I supposed to act?"

Hearing it out loud, her protest sounded childish, but Kyungseon humoured her gladly, and not with an ounce of discontent. 

"No other way. You're doing just fine kiddo. Better than I did at your age."

Moonbyul gave her a puzzled look, and Kyungseon realised she wasn't going to be able to get away with not further explaining herself.

"How do I put this..." Kyungseon paused for a moment, as if trying to be careful with her next words. "You're from the south, and the southern kingdoms aren't known for being easy on their Alphas. All of you guys impress me more than I can put into words. So if you ever feel like you're not doing good enough, trust me, you are."

Kyungseon observed Moonbyul's reaction to these words carefully, as if she could see the cogs of her unwary brain whirring inside that anxious head of hers, and then watched her as she glanced somewhat wistfully over at Yongsun.

"I mean, I suppose having an absolute stunner for an Omega doesn't hurt."

Moonbyul smiled slightly, tilting her head and looking at Yongsun more closely for a moment, as if considering her in a way she hadn't yet done so before, before she turned back to Kyungseon, a curious expression on her face.

"You really think she's that pretty?"

"Oh the prettiest."

Nodding slowly, Moonbyul began scuffing the ground with the heel of her foot.

"I just wonder sometimes why she picked me. If she's that beautiful."

Kyungseon nudged her shoulder, good-naturedly.

"Hey, you're not too bad yourself. More decent looking than a lot of Alphas I've seen. And if she has a preference for female Alphas, I daresay there wasn't much competition."

Moonbyul looked uncertain by this assertion, but agreed nonetheless. 

"Mmm."

Though if she were to have been honest with Kyungseon, she was still yet unconvinced. Concerning the amount of female Alphas at the choosing, there hadn't been many sure, but the ones that had been there had been every bit as Alpha as she was. And if it had just been a case of coincidence, she might not have felt so apprehensive about it. But it seemed self-evident to her that Yongsun had had an undue fascination with her from the very beginning, her unease at recollection dragging her back to the moment of their first, or perhaps technically second, encounter, to which Yongsun had so un-accordingly introduced the two of them to each other by name.

The unease she felt around Yongsun was one of those feelings which was quite unexplainable, indefensible even to another's ear, and easily dismissible by someone not prone to dwelling on anxious thoughts. But Moonbyul had, perhaps by nature of her position and upbringing, become too far accustomed to doing just such a thing to be someone who could easily let go of anything. To be someone who didn't cling to the familiar and to the known, as if change were the one evil in the world. To be someone who relied upon themselves and equally free company to live and prosper, rather than submitting to the rule of those that demanded it.

And it wasn't even so much a particular grievance with Yongsun that caused her unease, but rather everything in which the princess existed. For she had love enough for Yongsun already, the expected love an Alpha in her position would have for an Omega in Yongsun's. So it wasn't strictly Yongsun herself, but something else which unnerved her, and something of which she had not knowledge enough of the world to decipher.

They were waiting rather a long time for the game to start, a fact which by no means was helpful to Moonbyul's anxiety, but eventually an overtly handsome (Moonbyul couldn't help but think) Beta announcer stepped up onto a podium set before the viewing platform of the watching royalty and their noble associates, dressed in a wonderfully smart tunic and trousers.

"Welcome all, to the first of today's Alpha games, a long held tradition in the Spring Festival, for the continued hope of the cementation of cooperation and sportsmanship, and for the entertainment of those who have travelled far to grace each hosting kingdom with their goodwill of attendance."

Moonbyul stood straight and still in line, hands clasped firmly behind her back, and forced herself not to show any reaction on her face, though she thought to herself that the announcer was rather overdoing the explanations. And she watched, in the sort of way that one did when they were trying to appear as if they were not watching, as the Beta made a sweeping bow towards their Omega company, and again repressed an amused reaction, knowing it likely a certainty that at least one of the hundreds of watching crowd members had their eyes on her.

"Now for the rules. First team to get the opposition's flag across the line and onto their side wins. Tackling is allowed when intercepting an attacker on your side, but any fighting or displays of overly aggressive force will not permitted and will get the instigator immediately disqualified. Is everyone clear on that?"

Moonbyul noticed that the nods from the two lines of Alphas were not all as immediate as her own was, nor synchronised by any expression of the word. And she found herself both first thinking it strange that it was not so, and then second, thinking it strange that she had then had such an initial thought. For in what possible sense could one have expected such a thing to be synchronised? And why indeed, and she been one to have such an expectation? 

"You have one minute's strategy time, and on the sound of the bell the game will begin."

Moonbyul noticed the Beta then examine a pocket-watch closely for a moment, before stepping down from the podium and moving to stand beside a large bell, that was on a stand about a metre backwards from where he had been.

"What's this?" Moonbyul asked Kyungseon quickly, as the line of Alphas began to form into a huddle.

"It's where we plan who does what."

Nodding her understanding, Moonbyul watched Kyungseon talk, who seemed to be taking a leading role for this game.

"Okay so, the most common strategy is to split it half and half, but in a game like this, defence is far more important than attack. We should have as many people as possible protecting the flag."

Kyungseon then sorted out a group of four attackers to start with, herself included, posting the eleven remaining Alphas, Moonbyul included, at different points throughout their side of the course. Moonbyul was stationed of the field in front of the castle, which was a point of relief for her, as it meant that protecting the flag was not her direct responsibility. She did however, find it considerably difficult to catch any of the attacking Alphas before they got past her, running not exactly being her strong suit.

The game went on for a while like this, neither team ever really making any significant try for the flag, and with Kyungseon making several substitutions for attackers, although mainly to stage rescue attempts for those already caught and in the jail. And there was one point where she recalled the whole team altogether and, much to Moonbyul surprise, she approached her.

"Hey Byul, can I talk to you?"

Still breathing a little harder from exertion, Moonbyul nodded, heading off to the side of the field with Kyungseon.

"So, I've been watching you, and no personal offense meant, but you're not all that good at the chasing. So honestly kid, I think you'll do better on the attack side of things."

Moonbyul frowned worriedly, looking all ready to object, but Kyungseon took her by the shoulders and gave her a serious look.

"Trust me, okay?"

Moonbyul paused for a moment before she nodded and Kyungseon grinned, squeezing her shoulder gently.

"Excellent. So here's what I need you to do..."

And so it was subsequently then that Moonbyul found herself crouch running through an opening on the far right side the opposition's base, having hidden herself behind barriers the entire way across the field, as per Kyungseon's instructions. Moving a little way along, she found a spot on the right side which was about as far as she could get without being spotted, as a quick glance over panel she was pressed against gave her confirmation of a black-shirted Alpha not five feet away from her on the other side. 

She was unsure for exactly how long she remained crouched within the walls of the castle frame, hidden from the view of both the watching crowd and any opposing Alphas. Kyungseon hadn't been very specific with her instructions, and it was seeming more and more likely to Moonbyul that she must've been caught and hauled off to the jail before she could enact any plan that she had had in mind.

A slight movement across from her caught her eye just then, and she froze, staying as still and as quiet as possible, just as Kyungseon had told her to be. But as the unknown Alpha crept into view, crouched behind a wall but still in her line of sight, she saw that their tunic was white and not black, and as they turned to face her, she found that she recognised them.

Chansung raised a finger and held it gently to his lips as they made eye contact, and understandably so, as the black-shirted Alpha she had spotted earlier was just on the other side of the wall that he was crouched behind. And just moments after she locked eyes with him, Chansung gave a slight upwards tilt of his head, followed by his eyes, before he grinned at her and ducked out of cover, disappearing from her direct line of sight. It took Moonbyul most of the next second to realise what Chansung was implying she should do, and by the time she did, the black-shirted Alpha nearest to her, the one that would definitely have spotted her had she moved into the open, was already pursuing Chansung, thinking him going for the flag himself.

Sensing this to be an opportunity she couldn't afford to miss, she took hold of the top of the wooden panel she was crouched behind and hauled herself up, beginning to climb steadily and as quietly as she could towards the turret containing the flag. Her heart was in her mouth, a pervasive fear clenching in her chest at the prospect of being chased, but with this was an excitement and an adrenaline she had never experienced before. And she realised quite suddenly, just as she was about to reach the turret, that she was having fun.

A thud on the opposite side of the flag turret brought her up short, and she met Wheein's gaze, not a few metres across from her. The blonde Alpha grinned, bracing her hand against the part of the structure she was balanced on, as if ready to give chase at any moment.

"Thought you could sneak past me huh, Alpha?"

Moonbyul grinned, feeling confident in her ability to outperform Wheein, and finished climbing the last part of the turret before fixing her hand around the base of the flagpole.

"Oh I'm absolutely positive I can."

She took a step up at the same time Wheein took a step closer, perilously close to, by her next movement, being able to reach out and grab one of the tags. They locked eyes, both Alphas sizing each other up and waiting for the other to make their move. And it was the slightest twitch in the muscle of Wheein's arm that alerted Moonbyul just a fraction of a second earlier as to what she was about to do.

Securing her grip on the flag pole, she saw Wheein going for one of the tags on her waist and immediately braced against the pole as she swung her hips up and round, tucking her legs up to avoid Wheein's snatching fingers. Now on the opposite side, she began climbing, propelling herself up towards the flag despite the burning protest in her shoulders. She didn't dare to waste time looking down, but she could feel that Wheein was just behind her, her hands perhaps only inches from the soles of her bare feet.

The flagpole was a harder climb than she anticipated, but by the time she closed her hand around the rough fabric and had ripped it from it's mountings, Wheein was still a little way below her, which gave her just enough time to figure out a way to escape. If she jumped away from Wheein, there was nowhere for her to land without at least twisting an ankle, or possibly even breaking it. If she tried to climb back down, Wheein would no doubt manage to snatch one of her tags. So really, there was only one thing she could think to do.

Noticing that Wheein was struggling to keep her grip on the flagpole, she didn't even give her the opportunity to regain her composure before she jumped, flag still in hand, and more or less twisted up in the air, so that her head and torso were now lower than her legs and the tags safely out of reach. Reaching out, she grabbed firm hold of Wheein's tunic as she collided with the other Alpha's back, clinging on for a brief moment before using her as a human ladder to climb down and off, jumping to the platform on the left.

By this point, several other Alphas had noticed what she was doing and were making their way up to the flagpole, attempting to block her in as Wheein, still recovering from the impact of her jump, began climbing back down the pole, approaching from the back. But it was then that she saw Kyungseon waiting on one of the lower platforms, watching her intently, her hand outstretched and her mouth open with silent encouragement, and she knew what she needed to do.

Balling the flag up and tucking the tail end into itself so that it would hopefully retain shape for most of it's journey at least, Moonbyul pulled her arm back and with as much power as she could put behind it, threw the flag. And seemingly as if guided by some force yet unknown to Moonbyul, the flag soared in a perfect arc across the heads of the approaching Alphas before finally and gracefully unfurling straight into Kyungseon's hand.

Moonbyul was barely allowed a second to celebrate the success of the throw, before she felt Wheein collide hard with her back as she finally jumped down from the flag pole, wrapping one arm around her neck and reaching round with the other to snatch a tag from her waist.

"Hey. Sorry for dropping in."

Nudging Wheein off of her back with a jab from her elbow, Moonbyul grinned at her.

"Oh it's not a problem. There's plenty of room on this platform though. Much more stable than my back."

"Thought I'd return the favour. You damn near wrenched my shoulders off with your little trick."

Still overwhelmingly pleased with herself, Moonbyul held out her arm to Wheein.

"Want to watch us win from the jail?"

"Well, seeming as Kyungseon's got the flag now, I suppose it'll have to be my pleasure."

Wheein led her down to the jail, jumping agilely from platform to platform and bowing as she opened the gate to let Moonbyul through. Chansung was already inside, sitting on one of the benches, evidentially having been caught by the Alpha he had distracted. He grinned and gave her the thumbs up, joining Moonbyul at the bars as they watched Kyungseon take her shot at getting the flag home.

The final run was quite the spectacle, Kyungseon appearing suddenly from the depths of the castle and haring across the tournament ground like a bullet from a musket, with at least six black-shirted Alphas, by Moonbyul's count, in hot pursuit. The noise of the watching crowd was prickling with deafening excitement, as Alphas in white and black battled for position, in-case Kyungseon was caught up with and needed to make a trade-off to keep the flag going. But this proved ultimately pointless, as not a few seconds later, Kyungseon was in reach of the dividing fence, and with a final vault, was finally home free.

Chansung immediately threw his arms up in silent celebration as Moonbyul cheered, clenching her fist and raising it victoriously. And quite without realising it, she found Chansung lifting her up by the waist in a hug, and more strangely at that, she found that she didn't mind it. Rolling her eyes, Wheein begrudgingly unhooked the catch holding the prison door shut, and let the two of them run out to join their teammates on the other side of the field.

Kyungseon was first to greet her, also sweeping her into a hug which lifted her off of her feet, and then following this up with a soft punch to the shoulder.

"Amazing move you did up there kiddo. Couldn't have done it better myself."

Moonbyul grinned.

"Yeah, because you're too tall."

Not even feigning offence, Kyungseon smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Now you're getting it. Everyone has their strengths, remember? You've just got to find yours."

After a few more congratulations from Alphas on her team, the black-shirted Alphas found their way to join them also. Grinning, Wheein grabbed Moonbyul in a night headlock, rubbing the top of her head with her knuckles before releasing her.

"Well look at you, king of the jungle. Never knew you could climb like that."

"Me neither." Moonbyul admitted.

"Must be your iron shoulders. Jumping onto your back was like jumping into a brick wall, you barely even stumbled."

Moonbyul felt a twinge of pride in her chest at the compliment and managed not to look embarrassed by it, as she would've normally, and probably still would do if it was Yongsun giving her the compliment. As from an Alpha, it seemed less important somehow, not less meaningful per se, but it didn't have the attached weight of a stunningly beautiful Omega saying it.

Speaking of Yongsun, Moonbyul risked a glance over at the stands, and to where she knew Yongsun would be, and the blonde gave her an amused sort of smile, tilting her head to the side even as Moonbyul looked away.

Lunch was held immediately after the game in a separate roped off area, al fresco style, with the Omegas on ornately decorated tables and the Alphas cross-legged on mats. Moonbyul would've preferred the set-up from yesterday's banquet, separated from the Omegas, as she now felt that she was constantly being watched. But the high from winning the game of capture of the flag meant that any misgivings quickly disappeared, replaced by light-hearted banter and conversation.

The meal, of simple kimchi and rice, went on longer than Moonbyul had been expecting, due to the time taken for the capture the flag obstacles to be tidied away. And Moonbyul wouldn't have minded this, if it wasn't for the fact that, without food, it was becoming harder and harder to ignore Yongsun's direct stare, that she knew from a previous glance was on her. But by the time they were escorted back up to the barracks to get changed, Yongsun had thankfully seemed to lose interest somewhat in her, distracted by the conversation of her fellow nobles.

There apparently being no specific dress-code for the next game they were about to play, Moonbyul dressed in her thicker green woollen shirt, thinking it best not to go for the nicer one, as she wasn't sure how scuffed up and messy she might soon be getting. They were then led back out by a chatty female Beta, who held conversation with multiple Alphas near the front of the line as they walked back up towards the tournament ground.

Upon entering the ground, she could see that the Omegas were already back in their seats, and a steady line of festival patrons were filing back into their seats on the opposite side to the Omegas. The castle structures on either end were still intact, and presumably would be until the days activities were done with and they had enough time to clear them away, with only the centre field now completely clear. In their place, was a long length of thick rope, with two lines marked out equidistant from the centre, around which a white handkerchief had been tied.

A little perplexed, Moonbyul lent closer to Wheein to ask her a question.

"Are we just playing team games the whole day?"

Wheein rolled her eyes and grinned.

"Don't look so surprised. Alphas are allowed to have fun too y'know."

Moonbyul looked back at the rope and tilted her head to the side, confused.

"How do you play?"

Wheein looked at her disbelieving, though Moonbyul suspected it was feigned. 

"Christ, did they teach you _anything_ useful at that facility?"

Moonbyul tilted her head forward, giving Wheein nothing but a completely serious look in return, and Wheein smirked, shaking her head.

"It's called tug of war. Two teams hold the rope at each end and then pull against the other team. Whichever team pull the divider across their line first are the winners."

Moonbyul frowned, her expression more of annoyance than anything else.

"That is the most pointless sounding game I've ever heard of."

Wheein actually laughed at this, attracting the attention of a few other Alphas near to them.

"Yeah well, what's new? Pointless is the new useful when Alphas are concerned."

One of two Beta helpers, a man and a woman, which were setting up this game then began to sort them into teams, two of seven and two of eight. Wheein was, much to Moonbyul's liking, sorted into her team, as she was starting to like the blonde more and more the longer they spent time together. Before the games got underway, each of them were handed a pair of brown leather gloves, which made sense at least, as Moonbyul imagined that you could get pretty bad rope burn from a game like this if you weren't careful.

"So uh, is there any positions or anything in this game?"

"Not really. Only the person at the back who they call the anchor. They steady the rope for everybody else."

Moonbyul nodded her understanding, shuffling along with the rest of their team as she pulled on her gloves.

The Alpha forming the anchor of their team was a rather short, but considerably broad-shouldered Alpha-male by the name of Changrim. He wasn't particularly handsome, as far as Moonbyul could tell, but he had an appealing sort of face all the same that she could imagine attracting the right sort of Omega. The rest of their team was all males as well, the rather lacking numbers of female Alphas seemingly being spread evenly throughout the four teams.

Them being one of the two teams of seven, they were to go second, and Moonbyul stood back, intrigued to watch exactly how this game was supposed to be played.

The two teams of eight, the one on Moonbyul's right being Kyungseon's team, took up the rope, not pulling yet but just securing their grip. They then lent into the positions, bracing against the rope at an angle, their feet planted firmly in the grass, tilting. One of the Betas, the man, had been holding onto the handkerchief, readying himself to let go and start the game, which he did so with a sweep of his free hand and a hasty step back.

For a good few minutes, nothing much seemed to happen at all, with both teams just taking on the strain of the other, digging their heels into the grass and leaning back even more, looking almost from an outsider's perspective as if they weren't pulling at all. But eventually one of the Alphas on the left side gave slightly, and finally the battle for leverage began.

The effort involved looked beyond imaginable, both teams struggling and slipping against the grass as they grappled for purchase, their faces red and teeth gritted. But it was soon clear that Kyungseon's team had the edge, and it was only a matter of time before they won, which they did not half a minute later, toppling the other team over as they relaxed their grip upon the announcement of their loss.

Feeling unsure of her ability to replicate such an effort, but more confident for the fact that she had now seen it performed at least once before, Moonbyul took her position as forth in line, just behind Wheein. Bracing against the rope at such a tilt wasn't as difficult to achieve as it had looked, and as the game got underway, Moonbyul found taking the strain of the other team, keeping that balanced grip perfectly steady and unchanging, oddly satisfying, even enjoyable.

But just like before, there came a point where the effort really set in, and their team was pulling in spurts, trying to line it up to all tug on the rope as one. But Moonbyul could tell that they were struggling, as they inched nearer and nearer to the divider line, her own feet losing purchase again and again on the grass. And eventually the feet of the first Alpha in their line stumbled unwillingly across the line and the Beta adjudicator called the game.

Dropping the rope reflexively, she collided face first with Wheein from behind, unable to stop the momentum dragging her forwards, and ended up in a pile with both her and the Alpha behind her. Laughing, Wheein disentangled herself first and then helped up her fellow teammates, grinning particularly at Moonbyul.

"Ah well, good try huh?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Yeah, it was fun. More fun than I thought."

"Not so pointless then?"

"Mmm. Maybe still pointless. But perhaps not in the way I thought."

They were then allowed to sit back and watch Kyungseon's team face off against the team that had just beaten them, to which they were allowed to add an additional Alpha to make up the numbers. This game was over comparatively quicker, by Kyungseon's team of course, which added however trivially to the Alpha's winning streak.

They were allowed a moment's rest and a drink of water before the next game started, something Wheein referred to as 'Tiger, Tiger, Deer'. Simply put, the Alphas were instructed to sit in a large circle all facing the middle. One Alpha was then selected as the 'deer', and had to pace around the circle slowly, before touching the shoulder of their chosen Alpha. The 'tiger' then had to chase the 'deer' around the circle. If the Alpha in front was caught before they made a full lap of the circle, they had to sit in the centre of the circle. But if they managed to evade capture, the chaser would then become the new deer, and so on and so forth.

As simple as this game was, it was remarkably adrenaline-inducing to watch, with the tense anticipation of being chosen next retaining in Moonbyul a constant sense of excitable anxiety. The game also went on for much longer than you might've thought, what with so many of the Alphas being good runners, they were able to evade capture round after round.

Moonbyul herself, not being particularly fond, nor well trained in running, was caught on her first round as deer, much to her hidden relief, as there was only so much anxiety she could take before it stopped being fun. And it was evermore so immensely enjoyable to watch as the remaining Alphas battled their way down to the final two, which was rather unsurprisingly Kyungseon, and then a rather wiry Alpha by name of Minchul, who chased Kyungseon round the now almost empty outer circle ten times in a row, before the female Alpha was finally declared the winner.

The rest of the day then until dinner was filled with a variety of field sports, from races to throwing events, and even some sort of rudimentary football game. The races ranged from short sprints, to longer, more paced races, to team ones, passing a baton from Alpha to Alpha. Moonbyul preferred the throwing events to the running, not being used to much of the latter, and having developed extremely strong shoulders from all of the drills at the training facility.

The football game was the real surprise though, it being more much more fun than Moonbyul had been expecting. There were very few rules involved, and so all of them were pretty much falling over each other trying to get the ball through the opposing teams goalposts, all amongst a lot of good-natured pushing and shoving. And by the time it was all over (three-two to Moonbyul's team) Moonbyul had lain down, exhausted against the grass, her chest rising and falling and her cheeks flushed from exercise.

"Jesus, you'd think you've never had a day's fun in your life."

Moonbyul grinned, pushing her sweat-plastered hair out of her eyes as she took Wheein's outstretched hand and let the shorter Alpha tug her up.

"Com'n. They'd told us all to head down to the baths before dinner."

"Sounds like a plan I can get behind."

The baths were deep in the lower basements of the palace, and lit only by a skylight filtering light from the upper floors. As a result, it was considerably dark, and the water sparkling enticingly in the slight rays of light that it did manage to catch. The whole design was very Roman, with several white marble pillars surrounding a large central rectangle of bath water, between which the few Alphas that weren't in the water were lounging, talking to their companions, mostly still dressed in their undershorts.

However, from first entering the baths, it was obvious that modesty was not a prime concern, and that any attempt at preservation of this would be a waste of time. Already most of the Alphas were submerged in water, talking and playfighting, splashing and ducking each other under the water, and all manner of seemingly childish things the Alphas got up to when left alone. Feeling a little awkward, but not wanting to appear prudish, Moonbyul undressed in a dark corner of the baths before slipping into the water and sticking close to the side. And it was lucky it was dark, as the Alphas around her were doing nothing to hide their assets.

Reaching for one of the bars of rough carbolic soap lying on the edges of the pool, in little divots to stop them from falling into the water, Moonbyul rubbed a lather into her hands and set about scrubbing away the dirt and sweat from her hair and body, revelling in the opportunity to get clean. Yongsun she had noticed, had baths pretty regularly, at least when they were back in Ihaengyeo. She herself however, was often only afforded one about once a week, and always in the communal baths in the palace. Regardless of how often they were though, Moonbyul made the most of each and everyone, remembering all too well the bathing situation back in the training facility.

Once she had washed the soap off, she lent back slightly in the water and floated, her eyes closed, not really all that interested in interacting with any of the other Alphas. And she almost found herself wishing in that moment, that she wasn't going back to sleep in the barracks that night, and instead could be sleeping in Yongsun's room, however close to her that she would allow.

A splash next to her brought her eyes flying open, and she was greeted with the playful smirk of Wheein, who swiped her hand through the water, spraying her with another jet. Moonbyul retaliated dutifully for a moment before swimming back over to the poolside.

"You ready for the fights tomorrow?"

Moonbyul rested her head against her folded arms and thought about this for a moment.

"Ready as I'll ever be I guess."

Wheein grinned knowingly at her.

"I wouldn't worry. I've seen fights like this before. Huge public event like this, they're rarely serious. They'll pull you out if it looks like anyone is going to be badly hurt."

Moonbyul nodded, but Wheein could see that there was clearly something more on her mind.

"What's up?"

Moonbyul held her hands up, fingers outstretched, for a brief moment, before dropping them back down against the side of the baths.

"I don't know, it's kind of just... I'm not used to fighting. To being violent. And I know it's all just a game, that's it's not real violence. But I can't be the only one who thinks that this is weird right?"

Wheein tilted her head to the side, a drop of water escaping from her hair to run down her cheek.

"Weird how?"

"Like..." Moonbyul started, gesturing as if trying to find the words she wanted to use. "They spend their entire lives teaching us to be passive, to repress our urges to be vocal, passionate, to get angry. They dispel and condemn and bully even the slightest hint of conflict out of us before it even gets a chance to show. And now they want us to fight each other for their entertainment?"

Wheein, looking rather unaffected by Moonbyul's short speech, just shrugged.

"I guess so."

Catching the look in Wheein's eyes, Moonbyul hastened to elaborate.

"I... I know it's just a stupid competition. I just... all the games today. They made we wonder why it can't all by like that. Races and football games and capture the flag."

"It's tradition I guess, the fighting. One of the only things the Alphas used to do when they were in charge that they still use today."

Moonbyul looked intrigued by this.

"Why is that do you think?"

Wheein paused for a moment, seeming almost disinterested, before she gave her answer.

"I think it doesn't actually matter what you're doing. It's the context that you do it in. Times change, rulers change, people change. Sometimes we're at war and sometimes we're at peace. But we're always going to be fighting each other, one way or another."

The bridge between Moonbyul's eyebrows pinched in slightly as she frowned, as if battling with several conflicting thoughts at once.

"It's okay now though, right? It's peaceful enough."

Wheein shrugged.

"I suppose."

Moonbyul looked down at her crossed arms, examining a slight graze just up from her elbow, that she must've gotten at some point during the games that day. And distracted as she was, she couldn't help but tense suddenly as she felt Wheein's hand rest gently against her back, in a sort of parting motion, as she made to swim away from her.

"Just remember," she mumbled lowly, her fingers tracing lightly against her skin. "You didn't give yourself those scars."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can only apologise for the delay in updates, but I have been writing a few future chapters in advance as well as working on this one, so hopefully there's going to be some more regular updates soon! Love you all, and thank you so much for reading :)


	13. The Flower Necklace

"Welcome Alphas, to the training ground."

Moonbyul glanced around the marked out spot of trampled earth with mild scepticism, wondering if it deserved the title of 'training ground'. No expense spared seemed not to extend to provisions for Alphas, though this was hardly a surprise.

"Over the next five days," the Beta continued. "You will be competing in a series of different one on one combat situations, all to determine the winner of this year's Claimant Tournament, and the host of next year's Spring Festival. Each morning, you will engage in appropriate training sessions for the ensuing fights in the afternoon. Today will be hand-to-hand combat."

The Beta said a few more things Moonbyul didn't care much to commit to memory, before they were split into three groups of ten on rotation, the first group practising attacks on the combat dummies, the second practising blocks with mixed Beta and Alphas assistants, and the third having little sparring sessions amongst themselves. The groups had been sorted by experience, so Moonbyul was in the first along with Wheein, and stood back to watch as a Beta demonstrated the different attacks they were allowed to engage in, and how to do them effectively.

The training session took all morning, during which Moonbyul had heard, the Omegas were enjoying all sorts of festival activities not privy to the presence of their Alphas. And Moonbyul was glad that they weren't, for as much as she disliked the fighting aspect of the training, it reminded her of the drills they had had to do in the facility, repetitive and exhaustive, yet comfortingly familiar. And she knew that she would've preferred doing this to having to trail after Yongsun, as the princess engaged in whatever it was that Omegas did all day.

Of the three activities, she definitely enjoyed the blocking one the most, as it was defensive rather than aggressive, the pose she much preferred in a fight. She also preferred the security of defence over attack, never putting herself in too much danger and giving herself time to think over the best way to approach, when she was inevitably forced to attack in turn.

With the training session over, Wheein ducked under the rope marking off the training ground and poured herself some water from a waiting jug, swallowing it down in a matter of seconds. Much like Moonbyul, she wasn't used to regular fighting training, though not at all for the same reasons as Moonbyul did. And it was as she was downing her second cup, that she realised that Moonbyul was nowhere in sight, and she frowned, wondering where she was, as she was not the type to go wandering away from the group.

Spotting Chansung sitting cross-legged on the grass on the other side of the ground, plaiting strands of it together as he watched the other Alphas, she made her way over to him, thinking it possible that he may have seen Moonbyul.

"Hey, did you happen to see where Moonbyul went?"

Chansung smiled at her and nodded, pointing over at the tournament ground, and Wheein gave her thanks before making her way over there. It was pretty much empty, with a few groups of Betas sitting in clumps here and there across the stands, enjoying their lunch. But she spotted Moonbyul almost immediately, sitting on the front row nearest the grass, hunched over slightly and clearly occupied with something Wheein couldn't quite make out. Sidling nonchalantly up to the other Alpha, she craned her neck to get a look at what was in her hand.

"What's that you're doing?"

"Carving a hole," Moonbyul muttered, after a short pause, her answer slightly obscured by the short length of leather thread clenched between her teeth.

"In what?"

"In this flower token."

Wheein reached out with her index finger and tilted the token in Moonbyul's hand upwards slightly, examining it with interest.

"Where'd you get that from?"

"Yongsun gave it to me."

"And where'd you get that?" Wheein asked, pointing at the awl in Moonbyul's other hand.

"Yongsun got it for me."

Wheein nodded and watched Moonbyul for a few more seconds in great amusement.

"Y'know, this is one of the reasons I like you."

"What is?"

"No matter what you're doing, and however many questions I ask you, you never just tell me to piss off."

Moonbyul exhaled through her nose in a sort of laugh, the best she could manage without dropping the leather thread in her mouth.

"Quite pointless wouldn't you say? You'd never do it anyway."

"Touché."

Sitting back on the bench next to Moonbyul, Wheein left her to it, watching the way she etched carefully into the wood, making to carve out a smooth hole and not leave any rough edges. And Wheein couldn't help but think that this was something she must've learned at some point, and wondered exactly when this might've been. Then, about a minute or two later, having finally used the awl to carve all the way through the wood, Moonbyul carefully threaded the leather strip through and round, turning the token into a necklace right before Wheein's eyes. Standing up, Moonbyul held the necklace out by either end of the leather.

"Tie it will you?"

Smirking slightly, Wheein dutifully took the necklace from Moonbyul's hand and turned her around with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Reaching up, Moonbyul took firm hold of her hair with one hand and pulled it away from her neck, so that Wheein could tie it in place. And the other Alpha did so, though her fingers brushed ever so slightly against the skin of Moonbyul's neck even as she finished, and lingered for perhaps a second longer than was necessary. 

Dropping her hands, Wheein looked away from Moonbyul's neck a little awkwardly, although then immediately wished that she hadn't, as her gaze became practically looked onto Yongsun's, who was watching them from across the tournament ground. Seeing that Wheein had noticed them, she started to approach, and Wheein thought it best to warn Moonbyul.

"Oh your, uh. Your princess is watching us."

Moonbyul's head snapped up and she let her hair fall once more, her expression suggestive of her not having expected to see Yongsun here. Wheein hastily took a step back from Moonbyul in order to give the two of them space, and with another sharp look from Yongsun, bowed her head and retreated far away enough that she couldn't possibly overhear them.

"Let's see it then."

Hasty to obey Yongsun, Moonbyul reached under the collar of her shirt and pulled out the now freshly-made necklace to show Yongsun. She took it in her hand, running her thumb over the softly carved woodwork, no visible reaction on her face.

"Mmm."

Moonbyul watched her nervously for a few seconds more, before Yongsun dropped the necklace and it thudded lightly against Moonbyul's chest.

"It looks good."

Nodding, she tucked it back under her shirt, seemingly wanting to get it out of the way.

"Um... the awl?"

Yongsun glanced down at the tool in Moonbyul's hand, and gave a dismissive sort of shake of her head.

"I have no use of such a thing Alpha, return it to the Beta from which it came."

Conscious of possible onlookers watching them, Moonbyul made sure to respond respectfully, although not before bowing her head slightly first.

"Yes Yongsun."

Moonbyul left the tournament ground quickly, and after a short search, found the Beta which Yongsun had commandeered to provide her with such a tool. Not really sure then if she should be heading back as quickly as possible, as Yongsun had seemed in a somewhat fractious mood, she took her time, observing those around her and gently scuffing her boot against the ground as she walked.

She paused for a moment by the entrance to the tournament ground, and watched Yongsun from what she hoped was a safe distance of observation. The princess appeared to be talking to Wheein, what about Moonbyul couldn't imagine, but what with Wheein being Lady Ahn's Alpha, Yongsun's only companion on this trip, she supposed it wasn't too much of stretch that Yongsun might have something to say to her.

But as Yongsun finished talking to Wheein, and started making her way down to the entranceway of the tournament ground, where she herself was lurking, Moonbyul couldn't help but not want to be spotted by the princess. Perhaps it was to avoid any possible suspicions, for she was behaving rather out of place, but something in her told her that it was more than that. Either way, she found herself ducking behind a pile of crates, and watching for Yongsun from behind them.

The princess appeared in due course, pausing in the entranceway and scanning the surrounding area, and slight frown on her face. She then shook her head, and tired expression on her face, and moved away, disappearing from Moonbyul's sight soon enough, and allowing the Alpha passage back into the tournament ground without having to talk to her.

Wheein was still sat on the bench when she got back up to her, and although she had looked a little distracted as Moonbyul was coming up to her, she smiled readily enough and stood up, bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"All luck-charmed up now are we?"

"Fuck off," Moonbyul said, grinning and pushing Wheein's shoulder.

Wheein, for her part, feigned shock at Moonbyul's behaviour.

"You kiss your princess with that mouth?"

"I'm sure far worse has come out of yours."

Wheein quirked her eyebrows and grinned.

"And you would be correct."

For a second, Moonbyul considered asking Wheein what Yongsun had been talking to her about. But realising that this would mean admitting to watching them in secret, and no less the fact that she also respected the privacy of any conversation her princess chose to have outside of her hearing, she dropped it, choosing to stay quiet instead. And after all, it was often better sometimes not to know everything, even if it could easily become known.

Moonbyul untucked the necklace once more to look at it as they walked back up to the training ground for lunch, replaying Yongsun's words in her head. For true enough, she hadn't looked overly pleased, but she had said that she liked it, and it was just as likely that she was just in a bad mood today, than it was that she had been lying to her.

"Y'know I actually quite like it, despite your Omega-cynicism."

Wheein smirked.

"Oh I don't doubt that you'll be swapping love notes in a matter of weeks."

Moonbyul rolled her eyes and gave Wheein a more serious look.

"It's _just_ a present."

Wheein raised both of her hands in surrender.

"Okay, okay. It's just a present."

The food was simple, expected for Alphas but also a sensible enough choice Moonbyul thought, as you wouldn't want to throw up during the exertion of a fight after ingesting food that was too rich. But Moonbyul found herself feeling quite sick anyway, as the moment their utensils had been cleared away, they were rounded up and brought back to the barracks to get changed for the first round of fights.

They were all dressed the same, in a plain shirt and trousers, and then a dark red fighting tunic with belt round the waist. Their wrists and ankles were then bound to keep the fabric close to the leg, and their hands wrapped with bandages, such as you might see during a bare-knuckle boxing match. Moonbyul did notice however, that Kyungseon's belt was a different colour to everyone else's, and she was reminded that the tall female Alpha was technically a defending champion. Moonbyul couldn't help but pity the Alpha who would face off with her today.

As they made their way down to the tournament ground, Moonbyul used a hair-tie to pull her hair back into a messy ponytail, with a few loose strands falling about her face that she couldn't quite seem to manage to restrain. The spectator stands were packed, even more so than during the games yesterday, as there were even people watching, cross-legged, from the edge of the grass in the centre. And Moonbyul found that all her nerves came rushing back on the instant, as she joined the pool of waiting Alphas.

Their opponents were to be drawn by random lots, which made Moonbyul nervous, as she didn't fancy her first fight being against one the tallest, strongest and most experienced Alphas in the group. For although she wasn't, in any capacity, expecting to win, she still didn't want to be ousted in the first round and let down Yongsun's high hopes for her.

Moonbyul's first opponent was an Alpha of one of the nobles rather than one of royalty, by name of Sungjin, who she vaguely recognised as one of the Alphas she had sparred with briefly that morning. Personally, the two of them hadn't really interacted much outside of just being part of the same group of Alphas, but he seemed nice enough, shaking her hand as they were paired up. Their fight was scheduled sixth that day, so they had quite some time to talk as they watched, before it would be their turn to face off.

Silence was generally expected from them as the actual fights were underway, but in the moments in-between, she was able to find out that Sungjin was from the kingdom of Gaunggi, known as the trade centre of the United Kingdoms of Korea. Much like Moonbyul herself, he was a little reluctant to talk much about his Omega, but she at least found out her name to be Ryu Sera, a leading figurehead in trade both onshore and abroad.

The fights themselves were interesting enough to watch, though Moonbyul still flinched slightly when any particularly vicious punch or kick landed it's target. Because whenever the fights seemed to edge towards a place where it began to get harder and harder to differentiate between professional combat and real anger, she felt her stomach twist in a horrible way. Because what if she were to lose control? What if her savage Alpha side came through and she ended up hurting someone more than she ever thought that she could?

But then she thought back to what Wheein had said, and she felt a little better about things. Of course, in such a public place, they wouldn't let her get out of control. Of course they'd drag her away before she got too violent. Her only concern now then, would be letting Yongsun down, which if anything, was almost as bad if not worse.

Both Chansung and Kyungseon had their fights before her, both of them winning, Kyungseon's being the most decisive fight Moonbyul had ever watched. Every move she made seemed calculated to perfection, swift and ruthless, and Moonbyul was taken aback slightly, it being a great contrast to the laid-back Kyungseon she had come to know. And she could well understand now how she had come to be champion of last year's tournament.

By the time her and Sungjin were called to the centre, her nerves had increased tenfold, and it was all she could manage to not shake visibly as the two of them were instructed to bow before adopting their fighting stances. And just before the bell was called to start the fight, Moonbyul remembered Kyungseon's words, about fighting for her princess, and she sought out Yongsun's face in the crowd. And although her nerves seemed no more dulled, something else did stir inside her, a feeling she couldn't quite describe.

To win this fight, they had been told during training, you had to make ten definitive hits against your opponent, before they managed to do the same on you. And definitive counted as an unhindered punch to the chest, abdomen, face or either shoulder, or a kick to the upper leg and any of previously described places.

Blocking then, was of the upmost importance, something Moonbyul used to the fullest of her advantage during her fight with Sungjin. For most of the first few minutes, she made an effort to block every one of his advances, studying his fighting style closely as her forearms began to tire and ache from the exertion placed upon them. And it was only then that she began to fight back.

She aimed most of her punches to the shoulders, it being the hardest place to protect effectively, and she kept her eyes fixated on Sungjin's hands, her breathing hard and forceful as she focused every effort on reacting as fast as possible, every time she saw him about to make a move. And soon it was almost a reflex, a flinch, like being burnt, every time she saw the tell-tale twitch of an arm about to throw a punch.

The fight ended 10-3, as she directed a sharp kick up to Sungjin's abdomen, that he hadn't expected at all, as she hadn't used her feet the entire match. His palm was damp with sweat as she shook his hand, as was hers, and he smiled at her as he pushed his hair out of his eyes. Moonbyul for her part, wasn't so pleased at having won the match, as she was that she hadn't disappointed Yongsun so early on during the festival.

Kyungseon was first to clap her on the shoulder as she returned to her seat, amongst the rest of the watching Alphas.

"See? Told you you'd do just fine."

Moonbyul shrugged, though she was smiling.

"Not what I'd call fun though."

Kyungseon shrugged.

"What can I say? Being an Alpha's not all fun and games."

And even though Kyungseon was clearly joking, Moonbyul couldn't help but agree. It certainly wasn't all fun and games.

Yongsun seemed in a better mood when she met up with her after the fifteenth and final fight that day, congratulating her on the win and admiring her flower necklace rather more positively than she had done earlier that day.

"Working it's luck so far, isn't it?"

"It would seem so, Yongsun."

"Curious sort of man I bought it off, a foreigner I think. Nowhere too far ashore though. As grand as the Spring Festival may be, I hardly think of it as an international level of celebration."

Moonbyul nodded, not really sure what else she could do. She couldn't really start any meaningful conversation with Yongsun, as quite apart from being too nervous of overstepping to ever do such a thing, there was quite simply nothing she could think of to talk about.

"I'd like you to join me for dinner tonight," Yongsun remarked, quite out of nowhere.

"Yes?"

Yongsun nodded.

"Wear something nice, okay?"

Left surprised by this turn of events, Moonbyul just stood and watched as Yongsun turned on her heel and headed back up to the palace. Not wanting to keep her waiting too long, she hurried down to the barracks to get changed into her green and gold indoor shirt that Yongsun had picked out for her. There was a single mirror on the wall of barracks, over the washbasin, and Moonbyul took a moment to untie the hair band and shake out her hair, running her fingers through it to make it look at least somewhat presentable. She then headed up to Yongsun's room, where the Omega had already ordered in food, a bowl of spicy pork and kimchi stew. 

"I suppose you're wondering why I didn't want to dine with the Omegas tonight," Yongsun started, as she ladled out two smaller bowls for the both of them out of the bigger bowl.

Moonbyul didn't respond to this outside of an interested expression, and Yongsun took the hint to continue without waiting for one.

"Truth be told, there was a prince from Yeoldo, King Jongkyun's eldest son, who assured me of a continuation of our earlier conversation at tonight's dinner, and he is really quite boring. Not the most pleasant man to be at close quarters with at all. And even despite that, I'll admit, I've been craving some peace and quiet for a while now."

Moonbyul bowed her head and continued eating steadily through her own bowl of stew, as Yongsun startled to ramble, most of it odd grievances about the Omegas she had been interacting with over the past two days, and the rest merely comments about what she had been doing that morning. Moonbyul didn't really care to listen all that attentively, but she made sure to nod in appropriate places and to not look too disinterested in what Yongsun was saying.

Once they were both done eating, Yongsun began fussing with her skirts, reorganising the way they fell around her, and Moonbyul watched her curiously. There was nothing wrong with Yongsun's skirts after all, and she couldn't help but feel that the princess was purposefully avoiding her gaze, for some reason or another. Eventually though, she let out a small sigh and raised her head, locking onto Moonbyul and gazing at her almost longingly.

"I should like to keep you here tonight, but I fear it may not be allowed. I don't know what schedule they have you on after all."

Feeling obliged to give some sort of answer, Moonbyul tried to think of what might best please Yongsun, who was looking rather put-out.

"Perhaps I could stay, and leave after you have fallen asleep?"

Yongsun shook her head, smiling wistfully.

"You'd only be caught by the palace guards while sneaking back to the barracks, and I wouldn't fancy your chances at explaining. You'd best just go back now."

Moonbyul nodded, and made to stand up, before she was stopped by Yongsun's hand on her wrist.

"Just," she started, pausing in the middle of her sentence. "Come here a moment."

Answering Yongsun's summons, Moonbyul returned to her side and allowed the Omega to pull her closer until she was kneeling, pressed up against her side. She then pushed Moonbyul's hair to the side and guided her ear to rest against her chest, close enough that Moonbyul could hear the steady thrum of her heartbeat.

"You can hear it?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Yes."

Yongsun exhaled through her nose, amused, and continued.

"I wonder sometimes, if you'd ever noticed."

"Noticed what, Yongsun?"

"My heartbeat. Sometimes I think it can get so loud, there's no way you couldn't. But it never seemed like you did. And... I doesn't usually get so out of control. But on our wedding night, I could swear, I thought it might jump right out of my chest."

Moonbyul looked up in surprise, her eyes gone slightly wide.

"You were nervous?"

Yongsun bit her lip and smiled at her.

"Unbelievably so."

Moonbyul was rather taken aback by this information, having not thought Yongsun to be the type of person that got nervous about anything, let alone any interactions with her own Alpha. And it made her wonder what else Yongsun was hiding, that in reality made her ever more similar to her than her cold and composed exterior would suggest.

But it was Yongsun's hand on her neck that broke through these thoughts, and the pressure of Yongsun's mouth on her own that made her forget them entirely. It had been almost two days now since Yongsun had last kissed her, and Moonbyul found that she did miss them, especially these ones, that weren't as rough and demanding as the ones Yongsun gave her when they were working up to sex. And she was relieved to see Yongsun smile after she broke it off.

"Run along then. And I expect every bit as impressive a performance from you tomorrow, as that of which you showed me today."

Standing up, Moonbyul bowed.

"I shall try my very hardest, Yongsun."

***

The fight the next day was one that Moonbyul was the merest bit more experienced with, as it echoed the fight that she had engaged in during the Alpha choosing, something Wheein remarked upon with great amusement.

"I was watching your princess you know, during that fight. Thought she might cream herself with the way she was looking at you."

Less shocked by Wheein's words than perhaps she would've been a few days ago, Moonbyul just shoved her hard in the shoulder, causing her to stumble, laughing.

"Give over."

"I'm serious! She's had the hots for you from day one."

Undeniably intrigued, Moonbyul turned to look at Yongsun from where she was seated in the upper stands, and she almost involuntarily pushed her chest out slightly, feeling more confident in her body than she perhaps ever had done before. Body image was something Moonbyul had never had cause to be concerned about before, and she had had a considerably low opinion in her physical attractiveness, feeling herself inadequate to the many Alphas around her. But hearing from another perspective how Yongsun supposedly saw her, made her feel suddenly like quite the desirable Alpha. For the princess _had_ chosen her, hadn't she? And not for no reason, it could only be assumed.

The drawn lots brought her up against another male Alpha by name of Jaebeom, from the kingdom of Chulwon. He seemed the nervous type, and Moonbyul soon learnt that this was his first year at the Spring Festival too. She was sympathetic of course, being in the same situation herself. But sympathy only goes so far when you have a princess to impress.

Within five minutes she had him pinned, her muscles taught and straining, with sweat gleaming across her skin and soaking the edges of her tunic. He struggled of course, trying to unseat her, and she clamped down on his squirming leg with a viciousness she almost immediately recoiled from. For she could feel the blind, unsettling anger building up inside her, and it was all she could do to retain the pin for the full ten seconds necessary, before she jumped away from him, breathing hard and closing her eyes, forcing herself to direct the anger elsewhere.

If it was any consolation however, Yongsun seemed even more pleased with her performance than she had the other day, and even smacked her butt as she directed her to the baths, an action Moonbyul wasn't altogether a fan of, but appreciated, as it seemed to imply that Yongsun was in a very good mood.

After a quick wash with the rest of the Alphas who had made it to round two of the fights, she dressed in a smart white shirt with lacing down each sleeve and across the collar, with a red neck cowl to keep off the damp, before heading up to Yongsun's room once again as per her request. It seemed to be that Yongsun preferred a more quiet evening compared to most of the other Omegas, a lot of whom Moonbyul had noticed had looked quiet hungover these past two mornings, and had again ordered food up to her room for them to share.

"Excellent job on the fight today," she remarked, taking in another mouthful of black bean noodles. "I very much enjoyed watching."

Moonbyul's mind was taken back to the comment Wheein had made just ahead of the lots being drawn, and her cheeks coloured slightly, forcing her to answer with her head bowed.

"Thank you, Yongsun."

"I'll admit, I do wonder somewhat what they do with you all morning. But I trust you're learning a lot in your training?"

Moonbyul nodded, having gotten her blush under control, enough to look Yongsun in the eye.

"It's good exercise."

Yongsun raised an eyebrow and smiled at her.

"Mmm, I bet."

Moonbyul could feel Yongsun's eyes on her even as she stopped talking, and there was that familiar sort of tension in the air that Moonbyul knew by now was an indicator that Yongsun was becoming impatient. But far from an annoyed impatience, it was the sort of impatience that Moonbyul suspected could only lead to one thing.

And she wasn't wrong, as it had hardly been more than a few seconds after they had both finished their bowls of food before Yongsun stacked them and moved them to the side, keeping them out of harms way she climbed onto Moonbyul's lap. Moonbyul, prepared for such a thing, wrapped her arms securely around Yongsun's waist as the princess tangled her fingers into her hair and kissed her hard, moving against the Alpha in a slow rhythm, and smiling against her teeth.

"Oh, I _missed_ kissing you."

Moonbyul did wonder, as Yongsun was kissing her, if she was intending to sleep with her tonight, considering the limited time they had together before she would be expected back down in the barracks, or if she had just kissed her out of impulse. Although to be fair, either way, it seemed likely that she wouldn't be escaping tonight unscathed, as Yongsun's hand had already found it's way under her shirt and up to her abdominal muscles, pressing against them firmly.

A soft yet sturdy rap on the door brought Yongsun's mouth away from her own, the kiss breaking off with exactly the sort of noise you would expect. The Omega paused for a moment, her heavy exhales hitting Moonbyul's left cheek as she tilted her head, listening. Yongsun was still in her lap, her pelvis exerting perhaps a little too much pressure against Moonbyul's crotch, as the Alpha was battling to keep herself, and all her component parts, under control. But just as Yongsun looked all ready to dismiss the noise and get back to kissing her, another knock rang out, a little louder than the first.

Her eyebrows pinching into an annoyed scowl, Yongsun pulled away from Moonbyul and rose from the bed, leaving the Alpha to regain her composure and then move to sit, cross-legged and obedient, as Yongsun answered the door. Looking past Yongsun, she could just about make out what looked to be a young Beta-male, dressed in an oddly familiar uniform and a riding cloak. They talked lowly and quickly, such as so that Moonbyul couldn't listen into their conversation. But by the time Yongsun bid him goodbye and shut the door behind her, Moonbyul could smell, as well as see, how visibly distressed she was. She bit her tongue, wondering whether it was advisable for her to speak, but eventually couldn't help it.

"What's wrong?"

Yongsun eyed her somewhat offhandedly, as if she had forgotten for a moment that she was even there, before she crossed back over to the bed and sat down heavily, her thumbs twisting round each other nervously.

"That Beta has come straight from Ihaengyeo by horse. My father has been taken ill. I need to go and see to him."

Moonbyul couldn't help but raise her eyebrows in surprise, having not expected Yongsun to say such a thing.

"Is it serious?"

Yongsun looked at her, eyes wide and although her expression was guarded, Moonbyul could see in them that she was scared.

"They believe so."

Moonbyul swallowed softly, feeling suddenly out of her depth.

"Am I to come with you?"

Yongsun, who had turned away from Moonbyul again, looked up sharply and considered her for a moment, as if confused, before she shook her head, pointing her finger haphazardly in Moonbyul's direction.

"No. You are to stay and compete, alright?"

Again surprised by such an answer, Moonbyul managed not to show it this time and nodded obediently. 

"If that is what you ask of me Yongsun."

Looking considerably distracted, Yongsun closed her eyes and waved her hand slightly towards the door.

"Please go and fetch Jiae for me. I shall need her to help me pack up. And then please inform the Queen as to the reason for my departure and my intentions for you to continue competing. I fear I shall be gone before I can fetch an audience with her."

Moonbyul nodded and stood up immediately. 

"As you wish Yongsun."

Finding Jiae was easy enough, as like before, the maidservants all seemed to group together in the same places when they weren't needed, and one question to a passing Alpha as to where they were led her to a servants congregation room off from the main hall and down a set of stairs. Like before, there was much staring and whispered commentary between the maidservants when she interrupted, but unlike before, Jiae noticed immediately how on-edge she was, and got up to follow without question.

"Her majesty requests that you attend to her quarters immediately. I have no doubt she will explain the reasoning when you arrive."

Nodding, Jiae hurried off towards the main staircase, without so much as an acknowledgement of a goodbye towards Moonbyul. And Moonbyul was left feeling nothing but dread at the task that now fell to her, an engagement with the incredibly intimidating form of Queen Sunghee. She hesitated briefly in the entrance hall, feeling underdressed and massively underprepared, but one suspicious glance from a passing Beta guard set her quickly to the task, not wanting to be questioned for loitering.

Unsure of how to even approach the Queen, Moonbyul caught sight of the chatty Beta woman from that first day of games, standing at the side of the main hall, and thought her a safe enough bet to ask for help. Approaching her with her head bowed, she, unlike many, readily acknowledged her presence before then allowing her to speak.

"Please Miss, my princess has required me to inform the Queen of some recent developments in her participation in this festival. How might I gain an audience with her?"

The Beta glanced over her shoulder for a moment, as if considering what she should do, before she turned back to Moonbyul and held up her hand.

"Wait here, I shall inform her at once."

Moonbyul nodded and stayed obediently in the exact spot she had been standing in, taking the command perhaps a little too literally, but she had learnt that it was best not to take any chances where royal Omegas were concerned. It was quite a few minutes before the Beta would return, but she did eventually, and beckoned Moonbyul to follow her.

Queen Sunghee could not have looked more intimidating, sitting on her throne as she was, in a gorgeous dark reddish-pink dress, one leg crossed gracefully over the other. She wasn't wearing her full Queen's crown, but she was wearing a silver tiara, which was all but the same thing as far as Moonbyul was concerned. After all, it was only those with more money and status than sense that would ever bother to wear such a pointless accessory, worn only to demonstrate their power over others.

Seeing now that not only the Queen's eyes, but also several others who had been talking to her, were now on her, she hastily got on with what she had been sent to do. Going down on one knee before the Queen, Moonbyul crossed her right arm over her chest and bowed her head, in the expected show of reverent submission.

"Your majesty."

Queen Sunghee eyed her carefully for a moment, before she tilted her head to the side, leaning against her thumb and index finger, and began to speak.

"What have you to ask me, Alpha?"

Swallowing softly, Moonbyul forced herself to get the words out, before she clammed up and lost the ability completely.

"My mistress, Princess Yongsun of Ihaengyeo, has requested that I inform you of her immanent departure from Yeokjo. Her father has been taken gravely ill and she wishes to return home as quickly as possible. Her wish is also for me to stay here and continue to compete, if that is to be allowed."

The Queen considered this for a moment, her face giving nothing away.

"I should like to speak with her before she leaves. Is she already on route?"

"I confess, your majesty, I know not where she is at the present time. It's possible she may not have left yet, but I believe she is to go by horse alone."

The Queen nodded her understanding.

"Thank you Alpha, your princess's words are received gratefully. As for your continuation in the tournament, you shall be allowed to do so."

Moonbyul nodded.

"My greatest thanks, your majesty, from me and my mistress."

Bowing again, Moonbyul withdrew backwards and only felt safe to turn away when she had more or less been reincorporated back into the crowd. Her heart was pounding fiercely, and Moonbyul could've sworn every muscle she had was clenched hard from the effort of not stuttering or shaking in front of the Queen. Walking as fast as she dared out of the main hall, she ended up on the outside of the palace, leaning her head back against the wall, eyes closed, her heartbeat still far from under control.

"Alpha?"

Moonbyul's opened her eyes quite on reflex, and she saw Kyungseon standing a little way off from her, looking at her with great concern.

"Hey," she said, her voice soft and almost too caring, enough that Moonbyul would've felt like crying, had she been in a worse state. "I saw all the commotion. What's happening with your princess?"

Still distracted and shaky after her interaction with the Queen, Moonbyul paused for a moment before answering, forgetting for a moment why Yongsun was even leaving.

"Oh, her father- the King that is. He's ill. She wants to go to him."

Kyungseon nodded seriously, with not an ounce of her usual casual cynicism present in her expression.

"I see. She's making you stay here?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Yeah."

Kyungseon gave her a sort of half-smile, sympathetic.

"Tough break."

Moonbyul hesitated, stuck between responses, before she shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"It's better if I stay. She needs to get there fast so she's going by horse. It would only complicate things if I was to go with her."

"Still, it's going to make it harder to compete," Kyungseon started, pausing for a moment before the corner of her mouth turned up into a slight smirk. "No pretty princess to fight for."

Moonbyul looked up at Kyungseon and managed a small smile.

"I'm starting to think you fancy her more than I do."

Kyungseon held her hand to her chest and gasped in offence.

"How dare you even suggest that _my_ princess isn't the most stunning beauty in all the Kingdoms of United Korea. Your princess doesn't hold a candle to her."

Moonbyul raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.

"When have I heard you ever talk about your princess's beauty?"

Her eyes shifting to the side, Kyungseon made a big show of tugging on her collar, causing Moonbyul to shake her head and smile.

"Well to tell you the truth," Kyungseon muttered, leaning in conspiratorially. "Blondes aren't really my type."

Moonbyul laughed this time, a proper laugh, and Kyungseon grinned, pleased that she had managed to cheer up the other Alpha. Wrapping her arm around Moonbyul's shoulders, she pulled her closer and ruffled her hair.

"You'll do just fine kiddo. And you'll be back with your princess before you know it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just an aside here, because I felt like I should ask. I've been seeing a lot of things on reddit recently of both readers and writers saying that writers should respond to all of their comments, and that it's rude not to. Usually I'll only respond to comments if it's a question, because I don't want to be too invasive of my own comments section! But please let me know if I'm seeming rude, and I will try to reply to a few more. Regardless however, I promise that I do read every single comment, even if I don't respond :)


	14. Restless Nights

Hyejin watched from the bridge over the waterfall, her elbow resting on the guardrail and her chin against her curled fingers, her extended index finger pressing against her cheek. Two horses had left the palace courtyard, one that had been procured at haste for Yongsun from the palace stables, and the other the messenger's that had come to fetch her. Hyejin's eyes followed them as far as she was able down the main road, until they had disappeared from sight, lost behind the wall that surrounded the city.

And even without a reason to do so, she waited there a while longer, her eyes staring long, lost deep in thought. But as the moment stretched on, her attention snapped back into razor-sharp focus, as she became suddenly aware of something. And although the rushing water made it practically an impossibility to hear if anyone was approaching, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that someone was behind her. And in actual fact, she knew exactly who that someone was.

Glancing over her shoulder, she beckoned Wheein to come and stand next to her, which the Alpha did after a moment's pause. She noticed, offhandedly, that Wheein wasn't wearing her red leather collar, which she didn't often, as it would only get in the way during the fights and games required of the Alphas from the tournament. Although speaking of, Wheein had lost her last fight to some boneheaded Alpha from Gyeodulnam, so this excuse was already wearing thin.

Hyejin didn't say anything at first, just reached out her hand to caress the back of Wheein's neck, underneath her short hairline, before pressing her thumb gently against the mark there. Wheein didn't react as such, but her gaze never wavered from Hyejin's, not even so much as to blink. And eventually a smirk made it's way onto Hyejin's face and she dropped her hand, turning back to lean against the bridge.

"What do you make of it?"

Taking a barely noticeable step back from Hyejin, Wheein too lent over the guardrail, her hands clasped in front of her and her hair, short as it was, not escaping being buffeted by the wind. 

"The princess's departure?"

Hyejin reacted with a dismissive sort of turn of her head.

"That as well if you like. But I was thinking more of her decision to leave her Alpha behind."

Wheein shot Hyejin a short side glance, before looking back down at the rushing water far below them.

"I didn't know that was the case."

Her lip curling snidely, Hyejin stepped back from the side of the bridge and crossed her arms over each other.

"Not very observant are we?"

Feeling this comment a little too unnecessary, Wheein made to defend herself.

"With respect Hyejin, I-"

The same sort of anger that had shown itself in many of their previous conversations, immediately rose up in Hyejin as she stepped closer to Wheein once more, backing her up against the side of the bridge and instantly cutting off her sentence. 

"With respect nothing. Just tell me, what do you make of it?"

Swallowing softly, Wheein averted her gaze as she answered.

"It's an... interesting decision."

Hyejin scoffed, visibly irritated by such a reply.

"Fond of those words aren't you? Those that dance around the question, presenting the image of an impending answer, but then never actually get there. Give me more than 'interesting' Wheein. Give me whys, and then what nows."

Frozen in place, the edge of the guardrail digging into the small of her back, Wheein stared back at Hyejin, scared of her yes but refusing to yield completely to the Omega.

"Perhaps it suggests that her majesty is... not as in need of her Alpha as she could be."

Hyejin's lip curled up into a smirk, and she took another step closer to the Alpha, so close that one inch more and their bodies would be pressed against each other.

"And..."

Wheein, buckling although she did under the increased pressure, retained eye contact with the ever so slightly taller Omega as she forced out more of her answer. 

"And that she, perhaps, cares more about her Alpha's progress in the competition, than she does her Alpha's company?"

Hyejin's eyes glinted.

"Oh undoubtedly."

Having not prompted her to speak again, Wheein bit her tongue and stayed quiet, as Hyejin explored her eyes, her own so dark and so, so hard to keep looking at. But eventually Hyejin pulled away from Wheein and allowed her to step forward from the edge of the bridge, her throat bobbing with the motion of a nervous swallow. Smiling, Hyejin tapped her chin with a manicured finger. 

"You can figure this out from here, right Alpha? Smart girl like you."

Wheein didn't say anything, merely averted her gaze and nodded. Watching the Alpha closely for a moment, Hyejin turned back to look out across the city and waved her hand in a motion of dismission. Thankful for any excuse to leave, Wheein made to go, but found herself stopping to listen as Hyejin spoke to her.

"Next time I see you, you'll be wearing your collar."

Wheein turned from her retreat halfway across the bridge and bowed her head.

"Yes my lady."

***

For the first time since that first night during the Alpha choosing, Moonbyul couldn't sleep.

It was a strange thing to happen, as it wasn't as if she had been sleeping when Yongsun any of the previous nights during the festival. But maybe just knowing that she wouldn't get to see Yongsun come morning, made her not want to sleep through to the sunrise at all. Or maybe, as the slight hard-on she had had earlier insisted on reminding her, her body was reckoning with the loss of the session they had almost had in Yongsun's bedroom, before she had been called away.

Moonbyul turned away from the wall she had been facing, so that she was now looking at the dark expanse of the inside of the barracks, and at the many sleeping forms of the twenty-nine other Alphas packed in here with her. Her and Wheein had occupied the position of one of the many bunkbeds against the walls, and she had taken the bottom one, so that right now, she could see the faint shape of Wheein's hand hanging off the edge of the bed, and could hear the steady inhales and exhales of her breathing.

Two things came to Moonbyul's mind as what to do, as she lay there in the dark, frustratingly wide awake. Number one was to go for a walk, but this was immediately dismissible. Without the know-how of Wheein, or seemingly any number of other Alphas, of how to sneak around at night undetected, she couldn't risk any sort of journey outside of the barracks, especially now that she had no Yongsun to vouch for her.

Option two then, that the horny part of her Alpha brain had pushed and bullied to the forefront of her mind, was to finish what Yongsun had started earlier that evening and get herself off, in the hopes that this might help her finally get to sleep. But even as she considered it, her hand resting, almost without her realising she had moved it there, over the front of her trousers, she realised that this too was quite an extraordinarily bad idea.

Quite apart from the fact that she wasn't at all sure she would even be able to do it without Yongsun's assistance, the very idea of even attempting to do something in such a public setting, while perhaps would be exciting to some, was nauseatingly anxiety inducing to Moonbyul. And it was with this that she let out a deep sigh, and resigned herself to a sleepless night, hoping that she might eventually pass out in the early hours of the morning, and manage a least a few hours, as coerced and disrupted as they might be.

***

"Bad night's sleep?"

Moonbyul shot Wheein a somewhat scathing look, and the older Alpha grinned.

"You'd think your princess was going on a six month round the world trip by the looks of you, not just the other side of the country."

Moonbyul shook her head wearily.

"I'm just a little tired Wheein, it's hardly front page news."

Wheein raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"So you didn't stay up all night pining for your princess?"

Moonbyul rolled her eyes.

"How would you know anyway, you were snoring the whole time."

"No need to get defensive."

Moonbyul mumbled some unintelligible grievance and yawned.

"The training today better be light and breezy."

Leaving her to grumble by herself, Wheein went back over to the rest of the Alphas who hadn't made it this far in the competition. And much to Moonbyul's surprised relief, the training that morning was nothing but a set of various drills, in like to the type she had practiced over and over for years during her time at the facility. So tired as she was, she was still able to perform just as well as anyone else, the movements set into her body almost like muscle memory.

When training was finally over, Moonbyul dropped down onto one of the benches, hanging her head between her knees and blinking hard, her aching eyes protesting being kept open for even a second longer than necessary. She remained in that position for quite a while, bracing her linked hands against the back of her neck and trying to prepare herself for the eventuality that would be heading off against yet another Alpha.

A slight nudging against her neck alerted her to the presence of someone else next to her, and the voice that came next confirmed their identity.

"Hey, I got you something."

After a moment's pause to clear her head, Moonbyul looked up to see Kyungseon standing a little way off from her, and holding something out in her hand.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Wheein said you were feeling tired, so I convinced my princess to get me some coffee." Kyungseon handed her a small cup filled with a steaming brown liquid and smiled at her. "Here you go."

Moonbyul eyed the drink a little warily.

"What is it?"

"Oh yeah. Don't suppose you've ever had coffee before huh?"

Moonbyul shook her head and Kyungseon smiled sympathetically.

"It's perfectly safe, I promise. It'll just help you feel more awake."

Shrugging, Moonbyul took a sip and immediately grimaced.

"It's quite bitter."

Kyungseon grinned.

"I'm sure you can handle it. And trust me, if you don't want to be tired for this fight, you're gonna want to drink all of it. You'll thank me later."

Preparing for the rather unpleasant taste, Moonbyul took another sip, and by the time she was about halfway through the cup, she had gotten reasonably accustomed to it, and it wasn't as bad as it had been at first. Kyungseon had been watching her with amusement as she wrapped her hands in fighting bandages, and laughed out loud a few minutes later when Moonbyul's eyes grew wide and surprised.

"Whoa."

"Awesome right?"

Moonbyul held out her hand to see that it now had a slight tremor in it.

"How does it do that? I feel like I'm.... buzzing, almost."

"You get used to it eventually. It helps to keep you awake still, but it stops feeling like you've just plugged yourself into an electric socket."

Moonbyul nodded and a smile spread over her face.

"It feels good."

Straightening up and flexing out of her fingers, Kyungseon took the cup from Moonbyul's hand and gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder.

"You'd better start wrapping your hands up too kiddo. Fights are on soon."

Nodding, Moonbyul reached for her own hand-bandages and began wrapping them from the wrist upwards, something she had gotten relatively used to doing over the past few days. She had found easier in time, to deal with her dislike of fighting by treating as just another exercise. That there was no intent to hurt in her actions, only intent push forward to the next goal, if so be it that she had to fight another Alpha to get there.

Following Kyungseon's lead, she tucked the end of the final length of bandage into a crevice near her thumb, then stood up and headed back up to the tournament ground to participate in her first fight without Yongsun watching, her head still buzzing off the coffee.

The roster was now down to a solid eight, three female Alphas (including herself and Kyungseon) and five male Alphas, all of which had years on Moonbyul. Drawing from the lots once more, Moonbyul's opponent was a tall, tanned Alpha by name of Jong-oh, who had a sad look to his dark eyes. Moonbyul had noticed him to be one of the Alphas who didn't say very much, and rarely joined in when the other Alphas were messing around with each other, and she was unsure whether this made her more or less afraid of him.

The object of this particular fight was simple. The two Alphas stood inside of a marked out circle. The first Alpha to step outside of the circle, either by force or their own mistake, would lose the fight. It was the one Moonbyul had not been looking forward to, as it was very much the sort of combat which lent to the hand of those taller and heavier than herself.

Unfortunately for her, her fight with Jong-oh had been scheduled to go first, so there was no opportunity for her to examine how others engaged in the fight ahead of her. Stepping inside the circle, it suddenly seemed a lot smaller than it had done from the outside, and Moonbyul found her gaze naturally drawn to the spectator stands, only to remember that Yongsun was no longer there watching her.

Moonbyul closed her eyes, breathing deeply in and out, as the announcer went through the pre-game motions. The coffee had helped remarkably with her fatigue, but she was now doubly as jumpy and on edge, her nerves hardening every muscle in her body as she tensed. And it was only with the harsh ringing sound of the bell that she finally opened her eyes again. It was time to fight.

For a painfully long half a minute or so, they just stalked round each other, neither of them taking the step and going in for the first move. But Moonbyul knew that it wasn't going to be her, and so it was only a matter or time before Jong-oh lost his nerve and broke their momentary truce.

She met him halfway and dug her feet into the ground, pushing back against him with as much force as she could muster. And this happened over and over, the two of them clashing and trying to force the other one backwards by sheer strength, twisting and shifting against each other until they lost purchase and pulled away to begin stalking round, waiting for the other's next move.

A couple of times Jong-oh attempt to upset her balance, or tried to force her into taking a step back, but Moonbyul refused to relent, her ability to remain steadfast and take anything that was thrown her way second to none, due to her many years spent in the punishing environment of the Alpha facility. As the match progressed, she began to feel that increasingly familiar ball of anger begin to form in her chest, and she felt as if she threw more and more force against Jong-oh's advances, the longer they continued to grapple. Frustration was getting to her, she knew it, but it only seemed to make her more determined, her vision blurring and narrowing until all she could see was Jong-oh, and the circle she needed to push him out of.

And her moment came not a few seconds later, as with Jong-oh's next advance, he misjudged it, and collided with her at an odd angle. And having positioned himself wrong, his foot slipped slightly as Moonbyul pushed against him, not enough to unseat him, but Moonbyul noticed it and knew in that instant that this was her opportunity to win. Pulling back from him, he stumbled forward with the sudden lack of her body pushing up against his. Quite reflexively he pulled back to right himself, which was when Moonbyul turned her shoulder towards him and then shoved him hard in the chest.

For a second, Moonbyul wasn't sure if it had worked, that Jong-oh might fall and yet still be inside the circle so as not to be caught out. But then his shoulders made contact with the ground and he let out a groan as if the breath had been pushed out of him. But most importantly to Moonbyul, both is head and his outstretched hand were firmly out of the bounds of the circle, rending her the winner of the fight.

Breathing out a heavy sigh of relief amidst the cheering of the watching crowd, Moonbyul reached out a hand to help Jong-oh back up, which he took, righting himself and then dusting off his trousers. Following procedure, the two of them bowed to each other then returned to their seats to watch, though Moonbyul payed little attention to the next fight, choosing instead to lean her head back and close her eyes, trying to steady her racing heartbeat and wishing more than anything that she could catch a glimpse of Yongsun's proud smile.

***

Weirdly enough, considering that she had won her fight, Moonbyul was noticeably absent from the post-fight activities, in particular the evening meal, which concerned Wheein, as Moonbyul was not at all the type to stray from what she was expected to do. Excusing herself early from the table, Wheein began searching around for the other Alpha, hoping to find her before it got too dark.

And after almost an hour of searching, she eventually found her on one of the lower bridges near the outskirts of the city centre, one which arched over a more gentle part of the river, a distant cousin of the waterfall it was descended from. Her legs were hanging over the side of the bridge, her feet dangling out over the water, and elbows were resting on the rung that came to about the height of her collarbone, while she was sitting down.

Wheein sat down next to her, jutting her own arms and legs through the wooden rail, and Moonbyul didn't acknowledge her as such, though Wheein caught the way her eyes flicked in her direction for a moment. And they sat in companionable silence for a long while, just watching the water cascade lazily underneath them. Eventually however, Wheein felt that she needed to ask Moonbyul what was wrong.

"What's up with you huh? You look like a dog that's lost it's tail."

Moonbyul just shrugged, not looking Wheein in the eye, and the older Alpha nudged her in the shoulder, wheedling for an answer.

"Hey, come on now. Don't give me the silent treatment."

Moonbyul turned away from Wheein with a surly, almost childish gesture, before mumbling her reply.

"I don't think I really want to talk."

Crossing her arms and resting them against the fence bar, as a challenging rebuttal to Moonbyul's sullen behaviour, she nudged her again and gave her serious look.

"Come on Byul. You know you can tell me anything right? I'd bet that I'm your best friend now, even if it's just by default."

Moonbyul kept an admirably emotionless expression for all of three seconds, before a small smile finally worked it's way onto her face.

"You'll do."

Beaming, Wheein began probing Moonbyul again for an answer, until she finally broke down.

"Look, it's just... the whole reason I came all the way up here was because I was with Yongsun. And now she's gone, it's like, what am I doing here Wheein? I don't fit in with places like this, with Alphas like- like Kyungseon. Like you even. Without Yongsun I'm nothing but a liability. I don't know what to do without her."

Her eyebrows pinching down into a slight frown, Wheein nudged Moonbyul's foot with her own.

"You gotta learn to stand on your own two feet Byul. Sure your princess might not be here, but you are. And hey, you won your fight today without Yongsun. And you've still got two fights ahead of you, if you play your cards right. You've already proven that you don't need Yongsun for those."

Moonbyul looked up at Wheein, her eyebrows arched into a concerned frown.

"You think I should still try to win? Even if she's not here to watch?"

Wheein rolled her eyes.

"Jesus Byul, if anything you should try harder. Do it for you. Not everything has to be about Yongsun. And besides," she added, a sly grin overtaking her face. "I'm sure if you bring back that winner's prize, Yongsun will be _really_ pleased with you."

The raising of her eyebrows with her final statement told Moonbyul exactly what Wheein was insinuating.

"Are you like this with your Lady Ahn?" Moonbyul asked, only half-serious. But rather than the joking response she was expecting, Wheein's expression soured almost on the instant.

"No. Not really."

Moonbyul was taken off guard by the sincerity in Wheein's voice, as it wasn't often that she was like this. And in fact, it was really only whenever Moonbyul happened to mention Lady Ahn, that Wheein displayed any deeper emotion or discomfort on her face at all.

"Sorry. I shouldn't ask about those things."

Wheein shook her head.

"No, it's okay. I ask you enough about your princess after all."

Moonbyul thought about this for a moment, a look of strong concentration on her face, before she began to spill out more of her thoughts to Wheein.

"Y'know, I just feel like me and Yongsun's relationship is always so... visible. So transparent. Like everyone's always watching us. But you and Lady Ahn, I- I just can't figure anything out. What's it like being with her?"

Wheein shrugged her shoulders, leaning back against the bridge and bracing against her hands.

"She's different to your princess. I can't deny that."

Moonbyul tilted her head to the side, curious.

"Different how?"

Wheein took a while in answering, as if needing to mull over how best to say it.

"Hyejin is... very capable. Sometimes I wonder why she ever got an Alpha in the first place. Expectation of course, I thought, but she is so obviously somebody to which expectation doesn't apply that... well. It's hard for me to make sense of her sometimes."

Moonbyul nodded, as if she understood this all too well.

"There's times where I don't understand Yongsun. Either what she's thinking, or more often, why she does certain things, and why she does it in the way she does them. And I don't think I'll ever really understand her."

Giving Moonbyul an odd smile, Wheein began kicking her legs back and forth slightly over the edge of the bridge.

"Omegas huh? The ever-present mystery."

"Are they though?"

Wheein gave her a confused look.

"How'd you mean?"

"Well, are they a mystery because of what they are? Or are they only a mystery because they won't share with us who they really are?"

Wheein smirked, tilting her head back and exposing her neck, at which point Moonbyul finally noticed that she was wearing her red leather collar, as she hadn't been that morning.

"That's a million won question right there."

Moonbyul scoffed slightly, looking up at the steadily darkening sky.

"If only I had a million won."

Wheein smiled slightly to herself, though the smile was smaller and more sad than any of the ones before.

"Yeah. If only."

***

"Day four! Weapons training!"

Moonbyul swallowed softly at the mention of weapons, but held her head high and rocked back slightly on the heels of her feet. Buoyed by her and Wheein's conversation last night, she had slept much better, and was as ready and raring to go today as her nerves would allow.

"For obvious reasons, you shall not be provided with any weapons which may cause significant harm or even fatal injuries, regardless of whether they are being used correctly or not. For training, we'll be using wooden staves, but in the actual fight you will be using swords, though still wood of course."

Now that there was only four of them left, there were enough Beta instructors for them to have one each to practise with, so that it was no longer necessary for them to practice on each other. Moonbyul was half glad of this and half not, as it was both a blessing and curse for her not to get to know the fighting styles of the other Alphas.

This training session in particular was more in-depth and vigorous than any of the others before it, the instructors teaching them how to block, parry, jab and disarm with the wooden staves until Moonbyul's knuckles stung with the effort. And Moonbyul found herself wondering idly if this was what soldiers were trained to do, or whether to use of sabres had died out entirely in favour of the quite recently introduced military grade firearms. Though, thinking on this, Moonbyul was sceptical of the idea that any Alpha would ever be allowed access to a gun.

By the time they had gotten round to drawing lots for the forth time that tournament, Moonbyul was rather weary of the process, and more or less just wanted it over with. She wasn't expecting to win after all, considering the choice of opponents she had up against her. And with only four strips of paper to choose from, it didn't take long.

Kyungseon was to fight the third female Alpha who had made it through to the penultimate fights, and Moonbyul couldn't help but be glad of this, as from watching her in previous rounds, she seemed quite the force to be reckoned with. Moonbyul's own opponent was one of the oldest Alphas in the competition, the Alpha of the Queen of Maegukso by name of Minho. While obviously not as young and fit as most of his competitors, he had gotten this far by virtue of his experience, and Moonbyul was not at all looking forward to fighting him.

Her and Minho had been drawn to go first, and Moonbyul stepped out into the centre of the field with as passive an expression and as confident a stride as she could manage.

Their swords were practically identical, as far as Moonbyul could tell, both hand-carved wooden broadswords, with leather wrapping around the hilt, intended to be used with both hands, although they were light enough to manoeuvre with one. They had also both been provided with a pair of fingerless leather gloves, secured at the wrist with a strap and buckle, presumably to help them keep their grip on the handle.

Much like yesterday's fight, the object of the duel was quite simple. Engage in a sword fight until one Alpha disarmed the other, at which point they would be pronounced the winner. To say that Moonbyul felt underprepared would've been an understatement, though she felt confident enough in her ability to at least hold her own during the duel. As the training that morning had been unusually thorough, and Moonbyul was the sort of be able to pick up such skills quickly, and engage in them effectively within hours.

Holding her sword out in front of her with both hands, Moonbyul planted her feet firmly into the ground and locked eyes with Minho, pushing herself forcefully into the focus zone and refusing to let her mind wander. It was the way she had managed to get through all the other fights, and she hoped that it would work again here.

The first time their blades clashed in mid-air, Moonbyul almost lost her grip completely. The force of impact had been much more than she had anticipated, sending a loud crack echoing around the tournament ground. Gritting her teeth hard however, she was able to keep hold of the handle and push Minho back to begin circling once more.

Unlike most of the other fights, the two of them didn't stay resigned to the centre of the grounds, and Moonbyul found herself almost constantly on the move, only standing her ground to block or parry a swipe from Minho. Most of their clashes fell short of actual attempts to disarm, more just warning attacks, a way to keep the other constantly on their guard and not give them enough time to gain an advantage.

Which was not to say there weren't a few close calls. Several times Moonbyul landed a strike which seemed to unsettle Minho, and just as many times, and likely more, the sheer power behind each sweep of Minho's sword jarring the length of Moonbyul's arm, so much so that it was all she could do to keep her hold.

The fight lasted longer than Moonbyul could spare time to guess at, but it had to have been over ten minutes at this point. The crowd was murmuring with a low fervour of excitement, as seemingly everybody was starting to feel the tension that was fast forming between the two Alphas. Moonbyul knew that one of them would lose their grip soon, it was just a matter of time to see which it would be.

Moonbyul was breathing hard, sweat drenching the length of her spine and causing loose strands of hair to stick to her forehead, the effort of constantly being on the move while also deflecting against Minho's attacks starting to get to her. She had never been one to enjoy too much movement in her exercise, much preferring activities where she remained in the same place. Minho too appeared to be struggling somewhat, though his breathing wasn't as irregular.

Knowing she was getting too tired to keep up the same pace she had been doing, Moonbyul realised that it was time to start taking more risks, to try and bring the fight to a close. And whether this would work for or against her, she couldn't know.

Backing up slightly, Moonbyul brought her sword down in an arc over her head, and Minho raised his own sword to block, pushing hers back and to the side. The angle had offset him slightly, placing him momentarily in a position of weakness. Having just deflected, he wasn't prepared for another attack so soon, and Moonbyul couldn't help but think that if this wasn't a possible moment in which to secure a win, then nothing was.

Moonbyul swung at him again, this time from the right, and aimed for the very base of the blade, catching Minho off guard and giving him no more than half a second to react. Her sword made contact with another loud crack, pushing against the hilt, and quite to Moonbyul's surprise, Minho lost his grip completely on the handle, Moonbyul having wrenched the sword out of his hand and leaving it to clatter against the now hardpacked earth at the centre of the tournament ground. 

There was a moment's pause, where Moonbyul couldn't quite believe that it was over, before the rushing in her ears faded away and she finally became aware of the cheering crowd. Rather than looking put-out by his loss, Minho was smiling warmly at her and reached for her hand, shaking it firmly between both of his own.

"It's always nice to see the young ones come in fighting," he remarked. "I can only wish you good luck for the final. Kyungseon and Jiyeon... well. You've seen how they are."

Almost instinctively, Moonbyul glanced up at Kyungseon, and in that moment of eye contact, she knew that Kyungseon would be the one she would be facing tomorrow. Kyungseon held her gaze, her expression indeterminable, and for the first time looking at her, Moonbyul felt a chill of unease run up her spine. Heading back to the front bench, she took a seat next to Minho and began unbuckling her gloves as she watched Kyungseon and Jiyeon make their way to the centre of the field. And she couldn't help but wonder now which of the two mighty Alphas in front of her she was looking forward the least to fight.

***

It was early in the morning when Yongsun and the messenger arrived back in Ihaengyeo, with the sun just beginning to rise properly in the sky and turn the dawn into daylight. The journey by carriage had taken four days travel, but by horse alone (with early rises and riding sessions often going on late into the night) they had made it back in two. Yongsun was visibly tired and quite ill looking herself in fact, but had barely allowed the messenger to help her down from her horse before she was running up to the palace to go and find her father.

A Beta servant that she ran into in the hall, although surprised to see her, informed her that the King was in his chambers, and Yongsun only took the briefest second to thank them before she ran off once more. Having not even the patience to knock, she rushed in and her father, who was sitting upright in bed, looked up in surprise before his expression softened in recognition.

"Appa," she breathed out.

Her father smiled and reached out his hand.

"Yongsun-ah."

Kneeling at the side of the bed, Yongsun took her father's hand between both of her own and squeezed it, rubbing her thumb across the back of it.

"I didn't want to send for you, but the doctor wanted to be on the safe side, in case I took a turn for the worst."

Yongsun frowned deepened.

"Have you?"

"Oh no, no. If anything I've improved."

A slight note of relief entered Yongsun's eyes, but she was still noticeably fearful.

"What's wrong, do you know?"

Her father shook his head.

"Doctor wasn't sure, but he suspects it may be a disease, or else some sort of internal ulcer that's causing the pain."

Yongsun, with that knack she had for acutely examining someone's body language, narrowed her eyes, realising that her father was not giving her the full truth.

"Appa..."

Her father averted his gaze for a second, guiltily, before he muttered his answer.

"He worries it may be consumption."

Yongsun's heart dropped in her chest, as did her face, a horrified look entering her eyes.

"Oh appa."

Her father shook his head quickly and squeezed her hand.

"It's still early days Yongsun-ah. And besides, consumption is not always a death sentence these days. Doctor Jokshan is one of the leading practitioners of medicine in the country. I put my trust in him, and so should you."

Yongsun nodded.

"I will appa. I'm not losing hope in you just yet."

Her father smiled and chucked her under the chin affectionally before dropping his hand back against the bedsheets.

"My symptoms have eased somewhat since I've been resigned to bed. I almost think it unnecessary that you made the journey back here at all."

Yongsun shook her head and brought his hand up to her mouth to kiss it.

"I'm here now appa. And I'm not going anywhere."

***

The morning of the final day of fights dawned cold and frosty, so much so that Moonbyul had to break the film of ice that had formed over the top of the barrel of water outside the barracks, that the Alphas used to wash their faces in the morning before getting dressed. Her sleep that night had been fitful once more, the night delivering them to her in short snatches of an hour or two before she would once again be unwillingly woken up, nervous and sweating.

Coming head to head with Kyungseon had been something she had been dreading with each and every fight she had participated in, and she had had a small comfort in the fact that it was very unlikely that she would reach the final. But now that she had in fact, done exactly that, she was feeling about as unprepared for it as it was possible to imagine.

Moonbyul rubbed another handful of icy water into her face, willing the cold to somehow make her braver, calmer, more ready for this fight, anything really that wasn't this pervasive anxiety. But unfortunately it did little more than numb her already cold skin and sting uncomfortably at her heavy, sleep-lidded eyes.

"Not trying to drown yourself I hope?"

Taking her hands away from her face, Moonbyul barely gave Wheein a second glance before she reached for the hand towel to dry her face. 

"No fear."

Grinning, Wheein lent against the barrack wall, bending her knee and bracing against her foot.

"Should I send word ahead to your princess of your immanent failure?"

Moonbyul dropped the hand towel from her face and gave Wheein a hard look.

"Wow, such inspiring words of optimism."

Wheein followed her as she made her way back into the barracks to change into a shirt and trousers, pulling her undershirt up and over her head, no longer bothered as to who might be watching. As the vast majority of the Alphas around her cared so little for nakedness, that she had found it natural not to care so much herself either.

"Wait, is there training today?" she asked Wheein, as she pulled on a quite distinctly ordinary white shirt.

Wheein shook her head.

"I don't think so. The final fight is supposed to be a-" she emphasised the last word by wiggling her fingers. " _Mystery_."

Moonbyul didn't smile, but raised her eyebrows slightly.

"Figures."

Wheein smirked and rolled her eyes.

"Omegas are always so dramatic, you'd think we'd be used to it by now."

"What else would they do with their time?" Moonbyul joked back, securing the buttoning on her trousers and reaching for her boots.

"You know, you'd be a right charmer, if only given the chance."

Moonbyul raised an eyebrow, as if sceptical.

"Oh sorry, was it not yours truly who charmed Her Majesty, Princess Yongsun at the choosing dance?"

Wheein gave her a snide look.

"You got lucky."

"I'd say we both got lucky Wheein. Getting picked during your first ever choosing ceremony is not a feat taken lightly."

Wheein was silent for a moment after this, her head tilted in consideration, and eventually she bid her goodbye, leaving Moonbyul to finish tying the laces on her boots and step back out into the crisp, cold morning air to decide what to do with herself.

Left with no training to occupy herself with, Moonbyul set about going through a number of familiar drills, as there was really nothing that focused and calmed her down more than that. It was a sick sort of irony that the best reminder of her time in facility was also the thing that comforted her more than anything else, but that was how things were and there was nothing she could do to change it. No more than she could turn back the tide or get blood from a stone.

She tried to stay away from the other Alphas as much as possible that morning, prizing her solitude as a way to cope with stress, in the absence of Yongsun. But too soon came the time when she needed to get changed into her fighting tunic and head back up to the tournament ground, to be watched and scrutinised by hundreds as the fruits of her strength and athleticism were paraded for all to see.

Kyungseon looked considerably unbothered, standing across from her in a matching tunic, and certainly she didn't look nervous. From Moonbyul's perspective she seemed to be purposefully avoiding eye contact, and Moonbyul didn't trying to change this, instead looking over at the royal compartment of the stands, and at the empty seat that should've been filled by Yongsun.

A Beta announcer eventually stepped up between them, and a hush fell over the crowd as his eyes flicked from one Alpha to the other, before he looked up to address the crowd.

"The Alphas will fight each other until one concedes, or is rendered physically incapable of fighting back, at which point the winner will be declared. Bear in mind however," the announcer continued, directing a sharp look at the both of them. "Any attempts kill your opponent, will result in an automatic disqualification."

The announcer then stepped back, heading back up the stage and allowing a moment's pause for the two Alphas to stare each other down, before he rang the bell to start the match. And Moonbyul was barely allowed a second's preparation time before Kyungseon ran at her and knocked her right off of her feet.

Her back hit the ground hard, but she managed to dodge Kyungseon's fist as it swung towards her face, pushing her knee up hard into the other Alpha's abdomen and crawling out from under her when she was sufficiently winded. Kyungseon immediately jumped back up and swiped for her again, causing Moonbyul to have to duck and back-peddle just to get into a position where she could even fight back. 

Kyungseon was the most relentless force Moonbyul had ever come across. More so in spirit than the commanding stare of any Omega, and more so physically than anyone who had ever taken a hand or a whip to her body. And she could say, truly and honestly, that she hadn't been this scared since... well. Since she was a very young child.

They grappled intensely for minute after minute, punching and kicking and twisting out of each other's grip, chasing when the other ran and putting more effort and passion into the fight than Moonbyul had ever put into anything else in her life. Moonbyul's heart was racing, her vision beginning to cloud with red, and she felt that familiar anger rise up in chest once again. But instead of restraining it, she let it push forward, let it take over her body as she fought valiantly against the brute force of the taller Alpha.

Kyungseon however was more than a match for her, sending her sprawling a number of times more, before they eventually came to one of a few momentary pauses they had allowed themselves throughout the fight, both of them needing a few seconds to recollect themselves.

Moonbyul felt defeated. No matter how hard she pushed, Kyungseon always pushed back harder, and even her anger was starting to fade, in favour of a more permanent sense of dread. And she couldn't help herself from looking, from turning her gaze back to the stands and back to that empty chair, her heartbeat pounding in her ears and an overwhelming feeling of failure sinking through every part of her body. For she was going to lose right here, right now, and Yongsun wasn't even here to see it.

She realised too late that Kyungseon had had every opportunity to strike again while she had been staring longingly at the spectator stands, and flinched as she turned back to face her, fully expecting a blow. But she was caught off-guard by the look in Kyungseon's eyes, a look that was sad, disappointed and pitying all at once, but which she quickly steeled when she realised Moonbyul was watching her.

Moonbyul frowned, confused, as Kyungseon seemed to hesitate, her eyes wide and roving as she followed Kyungseon's hands which were flexing rather oddly. And all of a sudden, Kyungseon dropped her defensive stance, and Moonbyul saw her opening as clearly as if Kyungseon were signalling it right to her.

Hesitating for only the briefest part of a second, Moonbyul kicked Kyungseon squarely in the chest, sending the other Alpha sprawling, the first time Moonbyul had been able to properly knock her down. Not wasting the opportunity, she pressed her knee against Kyungseon's chest and leaned over her, attempting to keep her pinned. Looking up at her, Kyungseon stared into her eyes for a moment before she gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Screwing up her face, Moonbyul winced, apologetically. 

"Sorry," she mumbled, barely even out loud.

Clenching her hand into a fist, Moonbyul threw a punch that connected with the side of Kyungseon's face as she turned away, causing Kyungseon to let out a stilted groan of pain. She then punched her again, pressing down harder with her knee, trying not to hit any vital spots that might cause permanent damage. But before she could hit her again, Kyungseon threw her arm out to block the punch, then held her hands up in surrender. Rolling out from under Moonbyul, as the shorter Alpha bemusedly let her go, she held her hand up to announcer, the other nursing a now bleeding nose, her chest rising and falling from the effort of breathing.

"I concede."

Moonbyul's eyes widened in shock, not quite believing what she had just heard, and she stared at Kyungseon as she turned back to her, reaching out for her hand to shake it.

"You win kiddo."

Her brain sort of tuning out the noise of the crowd into a background buzz, all Moonbyul could do was shake her head and turn slightly red.

"Sorry, about your nose."

Kyungseon smirked, wiping the blood away on the back of her sleeve.

"Don't worry about it. All part of the fun right?"

Moonbyul gave a slight shrug, scuffing the toe of her boot against the ground, and Kyungseon gave her a curious sort of look.

"You did good kid. I'm proud of you," she glanced over at the spectator stands for a moment, then turned back to her again. "I'm sure your princess would be proud too."

And looking back at the stands herself, and back at that empty chair, Moonbyul couldn't help but believe that Kyungseon was right.

***

Moonbyul didn't sleep well at all that night.

She could kid herself that it was because of her injuries, and this wasn't exactly untrue. Every inch of her body ached and cried out for rest, pushed to it's limits by five days of relentless training and fights. But really, if she were honest with herself, she had slept with injuries much worse than these many times in the past. The only reason now that she was being kept awake, was her non-stop worrying about Yongsun.

And really it didn't make sense. She had won the tournament after all, and she had wanted to win, for Yongsun. But with Yongsun not actually here to see any of it, the whole thing had felt a little off. It was like she was an actor, performing in a play that nobody had come to see. And only once the play was over, had she realised quite how fake and pointless the whole thing had been. After all, what good was a façade if there was nobody with which to fool?

She wondered, while staring at the bottom of the bunk where Wheein lay, her breathing heavy but comfortingly regular, how Yongsun would act when she got back to Ihaengyeo. Would she even pay her any attention at all, considering how quickly she had abandoned her to go and see to her father? And if he was still ill, what would she do? Without Yongsun, she had little purpose about the Ihaengyeo palace, and she wondered as to what might become of her if the King's illness persisted.

Plagued by her worries and anxieties about the future, it took her until the early hours of the morning before she was able to fall asleep, no longer able to keep her eyes open from sheer exhaustion. Luckily for her, the Alphas had the final day of the ceremony off, and so she slept in pretty much the entire morning, none of the other Alphas attempting to wake her.

Lunch was another simple meal, which she ate sleepily side by side to Wheein and Chansung, her hair tousled and in need of a good brush. Her body still ached from yesterday's fight with Kyungseon, but the lie-in had helped somewhat, enough that she was able to pull herself together for the preparations for the afternoon's closing ceremony.

If Jiae noticed the dark circles under her eyes and the general haggard look to her face, she didn't mention it, and dressed her quietly and efficiently in the outfit she had worn for the open ceremony. It took her a little longer this time, without the help of another maidservant, but Moonbyul would've hardly noticed the difference. Of course, this time it was only her and Kyungseon getting dressed up in their finery, so they had been taken to separate rooms rather than one big hall.

Outside, a huge crowd had formed, and she was glad that the path she was led along back up to the tournament ground was not right through the middle of them. She had met up with Kyungseon outside the palace gates, and the two of them were now waiting at the entrance to the grounds, as those inside prepared themselves for the crowning of the Claimant Tournament winner.

Kyungseon was called up first, moving to stand next to princess on the right side of the stage that had been set up. The left side, where Yongsun would have stood, was empty, and Moonbyul couldn't help the pang that shot through her chest, even as she was called up next.

Attempting to swallow the hard lump that had formed in her throat, Moonbyul crossed the field and climbed the stairs up onto the stage, going down on one knee before Queen Sunghee and Princess Boyoung, crossing her arm across her chest and bowing her head. Raising her gaze, she saw the Queen looking at her considerately, as Kyungseon knelt and bowed opposite her.

Princess Boyoung was even prettier up close, though less in a conventionally beautiful way and more in the sense that she inspired intrigue in anyone that looked at her. Her face had a character to it that was undeniably appealing, and framed as it was by her reddish-brown hair, cut to fall above the shoulder, Moonbyul couldn't help but think that she was a lot less intimidating than most Omegas were, Yongsun included.

Moonbyul noticed, as the princess reached out to take the iron crown off of Kyungseon's head, that three boys were gathered around the Queen's chair, all young, but two clearly older than the youngest. These of course, must be Kyungseon's sons, or rather the princess's sons as it was. Moonbyul thought that they looked rather less spoiled than she might've expected, and seemed really rather interested in her.

Stepping closer to her, Boyoung rested her hand for a moment against the top of her head, and Moonbyul almost felt glad that Yongsun wasn't here to see this. For it was likely that Yongsun would not have appreciated such a gesture. She then placed the iron crown in place of her hand and guided Moonbyul to stand.

Straightening up, she forced herself to look the princess in the eye as she smiled at her and handed her what looked at first glance to be a small gold disc. Taking it from her, Moonbyul bowed her head, choosing to wait until she was not in front of the whole watching kingdom before she looked at it more closely.

When the crowd finally began to dissipate, and she was allowed to leave the stage, Kyungseon was first to catch her, her hand resting gently on her upper arm. When she turned, Kyungseon smiled, looking oddly like a proud mother, and rubbed her shoulder.

"Well done kiddo."

Moonbyul smiled back at her.

"Thanks."

"You go show that winner's prize to your princess, hmm?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"I will."

Kyungseon looked as if she wanted to say something more, but instead she just shut her mouth and squeezed her shoulder one last time before letting go and following her own princess down off the stage. Moonbyul too, retreated quickly, not feeling much in the mood for talking to anyone else, and disappeared from sight of the main crowd.

It was Wheein who eventually found her in the palace courtyard, sitting on the base of the wall where it jutted out, and examining the medallion she had been given as her winner's prize. She had taken off her cloak and shoulder guards now that the closing ceremony was over, and Wheein couldn't help but think that she looked rather small and defeated, almost like a child playing dress up with their dad's clothes.

"Nice little trinket isn't it," she remarked, sitting next to Moonbyul.

Moonbyul nodded, not raising her head as she traced her thumb along the edge.

"Yongsun will be pleased."

Wheein smirked.

"I bet she will."

Noticing the insinuation in Wheein's tone immediately, Moonbyul raised her head and pushed her shoulder hard.

"Shut up."

Wheein smiled, but had the decency to look embarrassed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to joke. In all honesty, it should at least help cheer her up if her father's still... y'know."

Moonbyul nodded, though she seemed somewhat lost in thought.

"She seems to care about him a lot. I've noticed the way she looks at him, whenever he was around and we were together. It's like she's..." She paused, searching for the right words. "Trying to prove herself to him."

Wheein shrugged.

"I imagine it's a lot of pressure being a princess. More than your average Omega certainly, though I suppose the status that comes with it is a good substitute."

"D'you reckon all royal children are like that with their parents?"

Leaning back and kicking her feet up, Wheein shook her head.

"I would imagine not. Ihaengyeo is a pretty small place as kingdoms go, and your princess is the King's only child. That's going to be a vastly different dynamic to a royal family with more kids than you can count, if you include all of them, not just the Omega children."

Moonbyul nodded, though she was slightly lost in thought, as it was really only occurring to her now quite how little she really knew about the other kingdoms of Korea, and how much she still had to learn about the world now that she was a part of royal society.

"Alpha."

Moonbyul and Wheein both raised their heads at the call, although Wheein immediately relaxed when she saw that it was Jiae who had spoken. Getting up, Moonbyul approached the young maidservant and bowed her head.

"Yes, Jiae?"

"My mistress only took the essentials with her when she left, and she wished for you to help me pack up the rest of her possessions when it came time to leave."

Moonbyul nodded.

"Of course."

Following obediently behind Jiae, they made their way up to the room that Yongsun had occupied in the few days she had actually been here. The room seemed a lot colder and emptier than Moonbyul remembered it, without the presence or indeed, the signs of occupation from Yongsun that there had once been.

Most of what they had to pack up was clothes, as Moonbyul noticed that Omegas seemed to favour having the option to change their outfit any number of times a day, and of course also have separate clothes to wear at night, rather than just stripping down to their underclothes as Alphas did. Jiae took care of packing away the more intricate expensive dresses, as Moonbyul dealt with the more menial items and then set about packing away the rest of Yongsun's belongings; shoes, books, hair accessories, make up and perfume and an embroidery frame, the design left half finished by the princess.

By her own volunteering, Moonbyul took on the heaviest cases to take down to the carriage park, and left Jiae with the lightest ones, seeming as the girl was still only young. Moonbyul wondered as to the purpose of Omegas often having such young maid or manservants in their service, but then thought again that there was probably a reason for it that she, as an Alpha, was not privy to the knowledge of.

As she, with the help of their coachman, began strapping the cases to the back of the carriage, Moonbyul noticed Lady Ahn approaching them out of the corner of her eye, and made a distinct effort not to make eye contact with her, moving to the other side of the carriage so that she was out of her eyeline. And although thankfully Lady Ahn seemed to be here for Jiae and not for her, Moonbyul couldn't help but listen in on their conversation.

"Jiae."

"Yes my lady?"

"Considering the unfortunate absence of her majesty on our trip home, I volunteer my Alpha to keep her majesty's Alpha company, and for you to travel with me instead. I feel it will be a better arrangement for all of us."

Moonbyul paused for a moment, confused by this offer, and in doing so managed to catch Jiae bowing her head in agreement.

"As you wish my lady."

"Excellent."

And then, as if she had known that she would be watching, Hyejin raised her head and looked Moonbyul directly in the eye, if only for a second before Moonbyul hastily averted her gaze, refusing to lift it again until she was sure Hyejin was gone. And back again was that feeling of unease in her chest, whenever she was in close quarters with Hyejin, a feeling that had no obvious cause and yet persisted in showing up anyway.

Trying her hardest to ignore it, she pulled the strap around one of Yongsun's cases a bit tighter than perhaps she needed to, straining to hold it in place as she buckled it. For no matter how insistent her sixth sense about Hyejin insisted on being, she was determined to keep her cool and not to listen to it. No good could come from harbouring such resentments against an Omega after all, particularly when there was no reason at all behind it. 

Having secured the strap, she jumped down from the back of the carriage to check that everything was in place, which was when Wheein sidled back up to her, running a hand casually through her short hair.

"Hey. Looks like we're roomies for this trip."

Moonbyul didn't look at her but acknowledged her with a nod.

"Seems so."

Wheein raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Not pleased about it?"

Moonbyul hastily shook her head, casting a quick glance at Wheein.

"No, it's not that. I just wonder why Lady Ahn requested it is all."

"Sick of having me two inches away from her at all times probably."

Moonbyul, not feeling that this was a good enough explanation but not wishing to push Wheein any further, just smiled and nodded, although she did wonder from such a comment, what Hyejin had Wheein do all day back at home, if she wasn't by her side all the time.

The carriage now fully stocked and secured, Moonbyul pulled herself up into the seating area and Wheein followed suit, taking the seat across from her. The blonde Alpha was wearing simple green trousers and a black shirt, with a black jacket over the top, a more modern look than the traditional, almost medieval clothes they had been being dressed in for the duration of the Spring Festival.

"Back home again I guess," Wheein commented, and Moonbyul nodded.

"Mmm."

"You enjoy your first trip out of Ihaengyeo?"

Moonbyul tilted her head to the side and looked out of the window, as the frame jolted in response to the carriage beginning to move.

"On the whole."

Noting that Moonbyul appeared to want to sit in silence for the meanwhile, Wheein just smiled slightly and nodded, looking out of the window on the other side and watching as they slowly traversed the roads of Yeokjo for the very last time.


	15. A Secret Shared

Absent of the companionship of their respective Omegas, in each boarding house they stayed at, Moonbyul and Wheein slept in the communal Alpha lodgings, as was the common style of most of them. Alpha lodgings at the bottom, then private rooms at the top for Betas and Omegas. The mattress was basically nothing more than a bedroll, a clear downgrade from the beds provided for them during the festival, but Moonbyul didn't mind it so much. She had slept on the floor plenty of times in her life after all.

The long travel times resigned to the cramped inside of the carriage however, were much more relaxed and enjoyable than when she had been with Yongsun and Jiae, as she was able to talk openly about whatever she wanted and not have to worry about getting in trouble. Again, she did wonder idly why Hyejin had sorted their convoy in such a way, but she soon reconciled that there could be no gain in complaining about such a thing.

As a result of easy conversation, the journey back seemed nowhere near as long as the journey there had, and by the morning of the final day's travel, Moonbyul awoke feeling well-rested and confident, and ready to face Yongsun no matter what state she and her father were in. Wheein was perhaps a little less talkative that morning, though Moonbyul didn't really notice, especially as there seemed to be a problem with one of the carriages that was preventing them from setting off.

"What's wrong?" Hyejin asked curtly, approaching the coachman who was crouched by the back wheels of the carriage.

The coachman turned, straightened up and bowed his head towards Hyejin before answering.

"Nothing serious ma'am, the connector on the wheel is just a little loose. It won't take ten minutes to fix up though, if we can find the right tool."

"And do you have the right tool?"

"Not on me ma'am, but there's sure to be one in the local wheelwright."

Hyejin nodded, and looked over at Wheein and Moonbyul, who were standing and waiting a little way off.

"Wheein, come here."

Wheein hurried over, bowing her head as she spoke.

"Yes my lady?"

"Go down into the town and fetch the gentleman the tool he needs."

Wheein nodded, and listened to the coachman describe the necessary tool, before she hastened away into the town to go and source one.

As Moonbyul waited for Wheein to return, she couldn't help but run her thumb absentmindedly along the edge of the winner's medallion, that she had kept in her pocket more or less since being handed it by Princess Boyoung. The iron crown had been packed away by Jiae to present to Yongsun when there was an appropriate moment, as Moonbyul had felt foolish wearing such a thing all the way back home.

Having decided not to waste time waiting for them, Hyejin and her maidservant convey set off a minute or so later, and Moonbyul watched their carriage disappear into the distance, and felt quite suddenly alone. With such a reasonably sized town however, Wheein soon returned with the tool in hand, and together the two of them watched the coachman tighten and secure the connector on the back wheel before they were finally able to leave.

There was perhaps a half hour gap stretching between the two carriages setting off, so Jiae would have ample time to inform Yongsun of her arrival. Wheein, if anything, was more subdued than she had been earlier that morning, and Moonbyul was starting to wonder if something had happened between her and Hyejin the night before.

The town they had last stayed in had only been one town over from the capital city, the current residence of the royal palace, so it didn't take long at all to get there. But the silence that formed between the two Alphas made each minute stretch out almost unbearably. And as the city walls finally came into sight through the carriage window, Moonbyul decided that if she was going to break it, it might as well be now.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Wheein glanced at her, the first time she had made proper eye contact the entire journey.

"Yeah, fine. Why'd you ask?"

Moonbyul shrugged, a little awkwardly.

"You were just a little quiet is all. I wondered if something might've... happened."

Wheein didn't respond for a moment, but eventually she shook her head.

"No. Nothing happened."

They were quiet again then for the rest of the journey, and eventually they trundled to a stop in the carriage park round the side of the palace. Deciding there was nothing more to say, Moonbyul smiled at Wheein and stood up, making her way towards the door when Wheein suddenly stopped her, moving in front of her path.

Wheein caught hold of her wrist, and Moonbyul looked down at her gripping fingers almost instinctively, confused as to what she was doing. But then Wheein had tugged her closer, and Moonbyul barely had time to move her gaze back up before Wheein's mouth was on hers.

It wasn't a long kiss by any measure of time, barely more than a second of lips pressed against lips, but it seemed to Moonbyul, as Wheein pulled away, that it had lasted an eternity. And she was left staring at Wheein in utter shock, her eyebrows pinched into a bewildered frown. Her brain was refusing the make sense of what had just happened, and her mouth sat open, despite no words being there to fill it.

Wheein was looking at her deadly seriously, her face slightly obscured by shadow in the darkness of the carriage interior. Her hand was still on her wrist, but she was no longer gripping hard enough for Moonbyul to be unable to pull away, though she didn't all the same. Feeling compelled to speak, Moonbyul managed to get one word out. 

"I..."

Wheein titled her head and leaned forward slightly, most likely to encourage her to continue talking. But Moonbyul mistook the gesture for another attempt at a kiss, and she stumbled backwards, breaking Wheein's grip on her wrist.

"I- I have to go. Yong-" she stuttered, struggling to find the words for a moment. "Yongsun will be waiting for me."

Clenching the medallion tighter in her fist, Moonbyul pushed past Wheein, who didn't attempt to stop her again, and opened the door, jumping down from the carriage and completely ignoring the coachman who just shook his head disapprovingly. She immediately began heading up to the palace courtyard, though she scarcely payed attention to where she was walking, her mind too focused on other things to care.

Did that really just happen? Did Wheein really just kiss her? Or had all the fighting messed up her head more than she thought it had? But no, the taste of Wheein's mouth, and the memory of the pressure they had left on her own, were very much real and very much still there. But that didn't make sense, _couldn't_ make sense. Wheein was an Alpha, and Alphas did not kiss other Alphas. And Jesus, what about Hyejin? What about _Yongsun_?

Moonbyul, as unversed in many ways of the world as she was, couldn't make sense of it. It was quite simply something that should not have happened, and now that it _had_ happened, she simply didn't know what to do with it, or indeed, what to do with herself.

She found herself coming to a sudden halt at some point in the courtyard, reality setting in with a horrible sinking feeling. Going any further would mean moving back into the domain of Yongsun, which even Moonbyul knew was a bad idea in her current state. For how could she possibly tell Yongsun what had just gone on, behind closed carriage doors, a secret that should never have been shared between herself and Wheein.

And unfortunately for her, it was this absentminded hesitation that brought her under the scrutiny of a Beta guard on duty, who had been sitting at his post at the main gates, considerably bored with the lack of action.

"Alpha," he called out, stepping away from his post to confront her.

He frowned as the Alpha made no indication that she had heard him, nor did she make any move to turn around and face him. Quickening his pace, he raised his voice to shout at her.

"Alpha!"

Moonbyul jumped and turned quickly on the spot, her face the picture of surprise.

"Uh- yes, Sir?"

Looking at her in disbelief, he began to tear into the Alpha.

"What are you doing out here, wandering about unsupervised? No Alpha is permitted to be alone in the palace grounds without explicit instructions on a destination. And you, unless I'm very much mistaken, appear to have no such instructions, nor a destination."

About as unprepared as she could possibly have been to respond to such a statement, Moonbyul stumbled over her words, her mind going blank.

"I..."

Taking this as confirmation of his assertions, the Beta's attentions moved to study Moonbyul more closely, and it wasn't long before he spotted something out of place.

"And what's that? In your hand."

Moonbyul glanced down instinctively, staring dumbly at the gold medallion that was still clutched tightly in her fist.

"Show it to me."

Compelled to obey, her mind still far too muddled to focus on ways to defend herself, she held the medallion out and the Beta snatched it from her hand, bringing it up to look at it in the light. His eyes were harsh and unforgiving, and Moonbyul found her stomach twisting in dread as his eyebrows contracted into an angry frown.

"This is not your property Alpha. No such thing could ever be owned by someone like you, mated or not." He paused, and his expression took another nasty turn. "You stole this didn't you? You thieving little Alpha bitch."

Taking a step back and raising her hands instinctively to protect herself, Moonbyul unthinkingly tried to defend herself. 

"No, I-"

"Don't take that tone with me Alpha! Who'd you steal this from? A courtier? A noble? Or was it from the princess herself?"

Lost for words, her eyes wide and scared, Moonbyul froze under the Beta's stare.

" _Jesus_ ," he muttered, the disgust in his tone evident. "I've never met an Alpha more deserving of being taught a lesson. In fact, I think we'll do that now."

Moonbyul flinched as the Beta wrapped a hand around her upper arm, but this only caused him to grip harder, his fingernails digging in. So Moonbyul, powerless to defend herself and knowing better than to physically resist, allowed the guard to drag her over to an open part of the courtyard that was surrounded by fencing, rather than a stone wall like the rest of it. And the main purpose of this was ease of observation from the watching public outside, as it was here that the palace whipping post stood.

Whipping posts, although less common than they used to be, were still often standard components of many buildings where there was potential for protest against authority. Moonbyul had become well acquainted with the one in the training facility courtyard during the many years she had spent there as a teenager, and she had also been privy to a few public whippings undertaken in the town square, when she had been too young to watch such things but of course, had done so anyway.

It had been many years since the palace whipping post had been used publicly, but it was used more often than you might think as a quick punishment for mistakes and transgressions by servants, and sometimes for criminals of a higher class, Omegas and important Betas, which considering the current state of the justice system, was an occurrence few and far between.

All the same, it could not be said that the whipping post itself was unprepared for use. The guard, with a rough hand, forced Moonbyul to her knees facing the post and then tied her wrists to it, using the rope that was threaded through a hole near the top of the post, so that Moonbyul's arms were suspended above her bowed head.

At this point, Moonbyul had finally been struck with the pervasive fear that accompanied the feeling of knowing that she couldn't escape what was about to happen. And although she was no stranger to beatings, it had been many months, perhaps even years since her last proper whipping, and the memories came flooding back to her in one terrible wave. For no matter how many times you were beaten, you never got used to the pain, and to the absolute terror that accompanied the sight of that vicious whip or beating stick.

Hearing the Beta return from collecting the whip, his breathing heavy and slightly unsteady, Moonbyul closed her eyes and prepared for the beating that awaited her.

***

The bridge between Jiae's eyes pinched down into a frown, as she glanced at a nearby wall clock to check the time.

It had been almost an hour since she had returned to the palace, alongside Hyejin and her maidservant, and she had been waiting ever since for the arrival of the Alphas carriage, in order to intercept Moonbyul and instruct her on the princess's wishes. But the Alphas had made no such appearance, and Jiae was starting to wonder what was holding them up.

Heading over to the staircase in order to look out of one of the windows, that was positioned on the large landing between floors, she looked out first onto the carriage park. And indeed, Yongsun's carriage was there, uncoupled from the horses and clearly unoccupied. Her frown deepening, she looked across to the other side of the courtyard to see if Moonbyul was anywhere nearby, and the sight that greeted her was far from what she had been expecting.

Although her view was obscured slightly by the brutish form of the Beta guard administering the beatings, Jiae hadn't spent a week in the tournament ground stands watching her mistress's Alpha perform, only to not be able to recognise her, even from considerably far away.

Pulling away from the window, Jiae began running as fast she thought was appropriate indoors, making her way up to the King's quarters and hesitating for only a moment outside the door before knocking. It was a little while before anyone answered, but eventually the door opened, and a slightly annoyed looking Yongsun appeared.

"Yes, Jiae?"

Jiae bowed her head hastily, biting down on her lip. 

"Begging your pardon your majesty but, it's your Alpha."

***

As the next strike of the whip thudded with an audible noise into Moonbyul's right shoulder, she finally let out a soft grunt of pain, no longer able to hold back, as the blow this time had landed across already bruised flesh. And the pain only got worse as the whipping continued, and soon enough she was letting out stilted grunts and sometimes whining exclamations of pain with every strike. But just as the guard raised the whip to deliver yet another of the seemingly never-ending hits, a commanding shout rang out across the front courtyard, and the impending blow never landed.

"Beta!"

The anger in Yongsun's voice was almost tangible, and alone sent a spike of terror down Moonbyul's spine. So she could hardly imagine how scared the Beta must be feeling. The sound of Yongsun's steps across the flagstones seemed to echo somehow, the sound of approaching doom for the poor guard, and Moonbyul noticed out of the corner of her eye that the Beta had knelt on the ground next to her. 

"Your majesty-"

"Step _away_ from the Alpha."

The Beta practically tripped over himself getting up, scrambling upright and depositing himself several metres away from the whipping post, crouching into a submissive position. Yongsun gave him a disgusted look but ignored him for the time being, striding over to Moonbyul and kneeling down beside her. Murmuring considerately, she cupped Moonbyul's cheek in her hand, turning her face towards her and feeling alarmed by the evident tear tracks on her face, mixed with the slight spots of blood that had sprayed up during the whipping.

"Jesus Christ..." she muttered, reaching up to undo the rope binding Moonbyul's wrists harshly to the whipping post, and then catching her as the Alpha slumped into her arms, whimpering softly in evident pain.

"Hush now," she chided, gently. "I know. I know it hurts."

Leaving Moonbyul to lean heavily against the whipping post, her back visibly undulating with each breath, Yongsun approached the crouched Beta with an expression like thunder. She had seen Alpha whippings before when she was younger, on the rare occasion that an Alpha stepped out of line badly enough to receive one in public, but she had never seen one so close up before. And to see Moonbyul's back, _her Alpha's_ back, like that, albeit through the shreds of a now ruined shirt, was sickening to say the least.

The Beta was visibly shaken, cowering further still as Yongsun stopped next to him, his face practically in line with her shoes. Examining him like one might do to a worm they had just dug out from the ground, she noticed a slight glint of gold in his left hand, and became instantly curious. 

"What's that in your hand?"

"I- it- I found it on the Alpha's possession. I thought that-"

Yongsun held her hand up to cut him off, and then held it out.

"Hand it over."

The Beta placed the gold disc into Yongsun's hand, which she had at this point, realised was the Claimant Tournament prize, the Spring Festival crest emblazoned on the front. Shaking her head in disgust, she aimed a sharp kick at the Beta, missing him but causing him to flinch nevertheless. 

"I don't want to hear the reasoning behind your idiotic impudence, Beta. Just know that you made a mistake here today. Now get back to the barracks and wait. I shall deal with you when I feel it is worth my time to do so."

Nodding hastily, the Beta scrambled to his feet and ran off towards the ramparts of the palace walls, and Yongsun didn't even give him the attention of watching him go until he disappeared. Instead she turned back to Moonbyul, who seemed to be practically unconscious, slumped and limp as she was against the base of the whipping post. Yongsun's expression contorted with disgust as the scent of blood mixed with sweat invaded her nose, and she had to force herself to kneel beside the Alpha once more to help her up. 

"Come Alpha. Lean on my shoulder."

Moonbyul's eyes widened, almost in horror, as she felt Yongsun's arm wrap around her waist.

"Your majesty I-"

"Don't argue with me Moonbyul, just do it."

And so Moonbyul, struggling slightly with the pain from her back, wrapped her arm around Yongsun's shoulders and allowed the princess to hold her up as they made their way back inside the palace. Jiae, who had been waiting by the door anxiously, hastened to assist them, taking charge of Moonbyul's other arm and draping it over her shoulders, despite her being so much smaller than the Alpha.

"What happened?" Yongsun mumbled lowly in Moonbyul's ear, so that only she could hear.

"I... the tournament prize. He saw it on my possession and... rightfully assumed I had stolen it."

"Mmm," Yongsun murmured, considering this.

There was quiet for a moment as they continued on their way, Yongsun silently cursing the lengthy route they would have to take from the front entrance to the doctor's office, before she gave her verdict.

"He'll be turned out by the end of the day."

Quite contrary to what she was expecting however, Moonbyul looked greatly alarmed by this.

"Oh please, your majesty. He was just doing his duty-"

"No Moonbyul," Yongsun snapped, quickly silencing the Alpha. "Don't defend him. He beat you without rightful cause, and by nature of you being my Alpha, he is to suffer the consequences at my hand."

Moonbyul hung her head and nodded dutifully, and for the next few minutes they slowly trudged their way through the halls of the palace and up to the doctor's office. And once there, Yongsun sent Jiae on her way, then rapped loudly on the door, calling out.

"Doctor!"

The door soon opened and the surprised face of Dr Midian appeared. 

"Your majesty? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I require your assistance Doctor, since some half-wit of a Beta decided to use my Alpha to take out some of their undue aggression on."

Dr Midian glanced behind Yongsun and caught sight of Moonbyul, who was leaning heavily against the wall, slumped on the floor and barely able to keep herself up. Nodding, he half-supported, half-carried Moonbyul into his office, and lifted her, with Yongsun's help, up onto his examination table, laying her face down.

"What happened?" he asked, producing a pair of scissors from one of his drawers and beginning to cut Moonbyul's ragged shirt away from her back.

"As you no doubt heard, I had to return early from the Spring Festival, due to news of my father's illness. This left her to accept the prize for the Claimant Tournament without me. And, upon her return, and seeing it in her hand, one of the guards thought it appropriate punishment to tie her to the whipping post and beat her there and then."

"He thought she had stolen it?"

"Evidently."

Dr Midian shook his head, wincing sympathetically as he peeled the shirt away from Moonbyul's blood-tacked skin, the Alpha letting out a strained grunt of pain.

"Is he to suffer reprimand?"

Yongsun gave an indiscriminate sort of shrug.

"I would have him flogged himself if I had due cause."

"Beg pardon your majesty, but as you are the princess, and this is your Alpha, I would say you automatically have due cause."

"Be that as it may Doctor, I feel it may not be appropriate to abuse my power in every circumstance. Losing his place at the royal court should serve as punishment enough. A damage to one's reputation is often far more devastating than any physical consequence ever could be."

Now that Moonbyul's shirt was off, Yongsun could see the savaged, heavily bruised wounds up close and had to fight her immediate nausea and even more so, her sudden, intense anger. For this was no ordinary ten stroke whipping. This had been a full-on brutalisation, one person actively wanting to cause as much harm as possible to another.

Turning away from Moonbyul's back, Yongsun chose to watch the doctor instead, as he doused a clean pad with rubbing alcohol and then gently pressed it against the worst of the cuts. Immediately Moonbyul hissed in pain, bucking against Dr Midian's hand and letting out an agonised whine, and Yongsun could see that she was crying again.

"Um, your majesty. I really need her to stay still, if you could..."

Nodding, Yongsun crouched down so that she was level with the table-top, and she cupped Moonbyul's face in her hand, rubbing her thumb across her cheek and guiding her gently to look at her.

"Hey, it's okay," she whispered. "Doctor's trying to help you."

"It... hurts..." Moonbyul stuttered out.

"I know. But the less you move around now, the quicker you can heal and the sooner it will stop hurting, okay?"

Moonbyul nodded, though her face was still screwed up with pain.

"Would you... hold my hand?"

Yongsun smiled sympathetically at Moonbyul, noting the slight hesitance in her tone at asking after such a thing. 

"Sure."

Straightening up once more, Yongsun reached out a hand and Moonbyul clung to it, squeezing hard every time Dr Midian reapplied the alcohol-soaked pad. And by the time he had cleaned most of the blood off and had reached the point of delicately cleaning out the wounds themselves, Yongsun felt as if Moonbyul may have partially cut off circulation to her hand, from how hard the Alpha's grip was around it.

"Are there not any painkillers you could give her?" Yongsun asked, with considerable irritation. 

Dr Midian rather regretfully shook his head.

"The only really effective painkiller I've got is an opium mixture, and I'd rather have her patched up and in bed before I give her any of that."

Yongsun muttered something which sounded rather a lot like a swear word, and tried to focus on something other than the crushing sensation around her hand. And quite naturally, now that most of the blood and gore had been cleaned away, Yongsun found her gaze drawn back to the wounds, and something in particular caught her eye. Frowning, she looked more closely at Moonbyul's back as Dr Midian continued to clean the wounds, and thus attracting his attention.

"Your majesty? Is something wrong?"

"Some of these marks..." she muttered, tracing a scar that was lower down on Moonbyul's back than the bloodied lashes. "They're old."

Dr Midian looked away from Yongsun and didn't answer her as he continued to clean Moonbyul's wounds in silence, leaving the princess to stare down at the old scars in confusion. For, as a matter of evident fact, she knew that the existence of old scars was proof that Moonbyul had been whipped before, and hard at that, as the scars were quite visible if you looked directly at them. But it was an entirely different thing altogether to accept that such a thing had actually happened to Moonbyul. That her Alpha had been beaten and bloodied and hurt, many times before, and yet had never said a thing about it.

She did wonder idly, how she had never noticed the scars before. But thinking on it, pretty much every time she had seen Moonbyul topless, it had been face on. So obviously she must've just missed it every time, the knowledge of which caused a ball of guilt to form in her chest. For how could she not have seen, and how could she not have known? Had she been so self-absorbed and uncaring, that she couldn't even notice a back profile which looked like the top of a butcher's chopping block?

Feeling a slight acidic taste rise up in her throat, she turned away from Moonbyul, hardly able to cope with the proof of her negligence as owner to an Alpha. Because Christ Almighty, they'd already slept together twice, and if she hadn't noticed them then, she couldn't help thinking that if it wasn't for this, she might not ever have noticed them.

Soon enough though, Dr Midian seemed satisfied that the wounds were clean enough, and gently doused Moonbyul's back with water to clean out the rubbing alcohol, and finally applied pieces of gauze to Moonbyul's back before wrapping them in bandages, a process which, unfortunately, Moonbyul would have to sit up for.

"Um, your majesty, if you could assist me. I need your Alpha in an upright position."

"Oh, yes. Of course."

Gently tugging her hand out of Moonbyul's grip, which she let go as soon as she felt her pulling away, Yongsun followed Dr Midian's instructions and together they rolled Moonbyul over as gently as they could manage, though she still growled instinctively from the pain. Dr Midian then wrapped his hand around her upper arm, pressing flush against it, and asked Yongsun to do the same, and together they tugged her upright.

"Fuck-"

It was the first time Yongsun had ever heard Moonbyul swear, and quite frankly she was amazed that she hadn't done so until now. And perhaps more so now than ever, Yongsun found herself utterly taken-aback by how resilient and non-confrontational Moonbyul was, still trying to be the best Alpha she could be for her Omega even when looking like she had dragged herself home from a battlefield.

"It's okay, you just hold my hand again, while doctor does the bandages."

Moonbyul nodded, her teeth clenching with the effort of staying upright, and again she grabbed Yongsun's hand, squeezing like her life depended on it. And from just one look at her Alpha's face, Yongsun could hardly imagine how painful it must be. It seemed to take an age, but finally came the time when Dr Midian had tucked the last bandage securely round Moonbyul's torso, and together they gently rolled her back onto her front, where she could finally relax her back muscles again.

"What now?" Yongsun questioned, her face etched with concern. "Does she stay here?"

"I'd prefer it if she recovers in a bed, where we won't need to move her. I'll fetch some manservants to help carry her. We want to minimise disturbing the wounds now that they're dressed."

Yongsun nodded.

"You can bring her up to my room. I'd like to be able to keep an eye on her."

"As you wish, your majesty."

Dr Midian bowed and then left the room, leaving the two of them alone in his office. Hearing Moonbyul's laboured breathing, Yongsun crouched down next to her once more and began stroking her hair gently, mumbling reassurances into her ear until Dr Midian returned with two manservants behind him.

With Yongsun trailing behind them like a worried mother, Dr Midian and the two manservants carried Moonbyul up to her bedroom, trying their best not to move her, but when climbing the stairs, she was inevitably jostled, causing her to cry out softly when she could no longer keep quiet. When they reached the bedroom, the manservants visibly hesitated, not sure what to do with her, and Yongsun hastily took charge.

"Put her on my bed. It's likely I will be staying with my father most nights anyway."

The manservant closest to the bed nodded, and angled himself so that the three men could deposit Moonbyul face down against the mattress. Dr Midian dismissed them quickly, and lingered for a moment, making sure Moonbyul wasn't in a bad position and advising Yongsun on how best to keep an eye on her.

"I'll come back tomorrow morning to check up on her and change her bandages, alright?"

Yongsun nodded and Dr Midian bowed his head one last time before retreating from the room backwards, leaving the two of them alone. The silence that then exceeded, from the sudden absence of another person, unnerved Yongsun, not in the least because all she could hear now was the laboured breathing of her Alpha lying, spread-eagled in her bed.

Yongsun watched Moonbyul for a long moment, frozen as if in shock, not sure what to do. Getting her inside and in contact with a doctor had been a task, something to occupy her, and for a good half an hour or so she had even allowed herself to stop worrying about her father. But now that it was all over, and the dust had settled as it were, she found herself suddenly lost, feeling out of place and not capable of looking after an Alpha in such pain.

Feeling compelled to do something, she knelt down beside the bed and rather tentatively reached for one of Moonbyul's outstretched hands, which was clenched around the material of one of her pillowcases. Immediately she felt Moonbyul's grip soften, not gripping nearly so hard to her hand as Yongsun suspected she wanted to. And watching her face, so strained and screwed up with pain as it was, quite without knowing she was going to, she started crying. 

The tears were slow at first, barely there in the corners of her eyes, and she only realised she was doing so when one rolled off of her cheek and landed on Moonbyul's hand, cradled gently within her own. And after a second's confused pause, Moonbyul opened her eyes, reacting to the feeling of the tear, and with some difficulty she pulled her hand away from Yongsun's, with no hesitance whatsoever in what she was about to do.

"Don't cry... Yongsunnie..."

Yongsun was so distracted by Moonbyul's tone, and the way she reached up her hand to gently wipe the tears away from her face, that she couldn't find it in her to reprimand her for using such an informal derivative of her name. 

"I'm okay. Really."

Yongsun shook her head and took hold of Moonbyul's hand again, pressing it gently against her cheek for a moment before placing it back on the bed.

"You should stay still. Let yourself heal."

Following this order dutifully, Moonbyul closed her eyes once more, her back rising and falling slightly with each breath.

"The scars," Yongsun asked, quite suddenly, a few moments later. "You got them from the training facility, didn't you?"

Moonbyul opened her eyes and was still for a moment, before she nodded.

"Tell me about it."

Moonbyul's eyes went slightly wide, almost pleading, but Yongsun answered her with nothing but a frown.

"I don't care Moonbyul. If you ever get threatened for telling me, I will personally interrogate every member of that facility until they tell me the truth."

Moonbyul was silent for a while, and Yongsun could see both the hurt and hesitance in her eyes. But eventually she ran her tongue lightly along her bottom lip, wetting it slightly before beginning to speak, in a rough, hoarse tone.

"There was a whipping post at the facility, at the front of the drill yard. Sometimes they'd even beat Alphas in time with the drills, and make everyone else watch. But you didn't have to be tied to the whipping post in order for them to beat you. They'd hit you if you were rude, if you were late, if you slept in, if you made a mistake in the drills, in your work order, or... sometimes just for no reason at all."

Yongsun looked surprised by this answer, her eyebrows then arching downwards into a hard frown.

"Is it like that at all the facilities?"

Moonbyul shook her head gently.

"There are different kinds of facilities. There are those which the Alphas of upper and middle class families go to. And then there's... ones like mine. And the Alphas that go to ones like mine, they go for free. So they aren't afforded any protection or luxury whatsoever."

But Yongsun was still frowning, a confused expression in her face.

"Even so... I still don't understand. You're being bred to become the Alphas of the highest in society. Surely beating you so much would make you less valuable?"

Moonbyul gave her an almost pitying look, like one might do to a suffering animal they were about to put down, and her tone when she spoke next was deadly serious.

"Think about it Yongsun. Think about what our purpose is for these Omegas."

Moonbyul allowed for a small pause, where she examined Yongsun's conflicted expressions closely, trying to figure out what the princess was thinking. For she thought it unlikely that she had ever spent any significant amount of time really thinking about how Alphas were treated, and especially not whether this treatment was at all fair or justified.

"You really think, even if they told everyone exactly what was going on in those places, that anybody would really care? That anybody would bother to give more than a second's thought for the Alphas that live there?"

Moonbyul noticed Yongsun bite her lip hard, and she found herself taking pity on her.

"I don't mean to undermine your intentions, Yongsun. But people just... don't care about these things."

Yongsun turned her face away, Moonbyul suspected because she couldn't quite manage to look her in the eye, and she mumbled her next words quietly.

"I just... I never even thought that they could beat Alphas in those places. I thought they only whipped Alphas who stepped out of line."

Moonbyul swallowed with difficultly, as her throat was now considerably dry, and answered Yongsun in a low tone.

"If you'll forgive me for saying Yongsun... depending on the Omega deciding, what constitutes as stepping out of line is considerably volatile."

Yongsun gave Moonbyul a saddened, almost guilty sort of look, and reached out her hand to touch her face, tracing her fingers over her eyebrows then down her cheek to her jaw, with an almost ghost-like touch. And for a second they locked eyes, and Moonbyul couldn't have described the emotion that she saw in Yongsun's gaze in that moment.

A knock on the door brought Yongsun's head up sharply, instinctively snatching her hand away from touching Moonbyul's face, although the Alpha could hardly find the energy to feel upset about Yongsun not wanting to be seen being affectionate with her. Rather hastily, Yongsun stood up and moved to the door, where Jiae was waiting outside.

"Um, your majesty. The laudanum, from Dr Midian."

Yongsun's expression cleared with relief immediately.

"Oh yes, of course."

"He said it's only a small dose, but still to only take as much as you need to ease the pain," Jiae continued, as Yongsun took the bottle from her hand.

"Thank you Jiae. If you could convey my compliments to him for his service to my Alpha, that would be much appreciated."

Shutting the door after the maidservant, Yongsun made her way back over to Moonbyul and crouched down beside her, reaching a hand up to stroke gently through her hair, which she was just now noticing had been dampened slightly with sweat.

"You're still hurting right?"

Moonbyul nodded, and Yongsun noticed as well, quite how pale she was.

"Take a sip of this. And if you need some more, just tell me, okay?"

Moonbyul nodded again, and with Yongsun gently angling her chin so as not to spill any of the laudanum mixture, she managed to get a small dose into the Alpha. The bottle, as tiny as it was, was still mostly full, and Yongsun was sceptical as to what effect such a small amount would have on the well-built Alpha. But she was to be proved wrong, as not a few moments later Moonbyul was drooping, her eyes fluttering closed as she sank deeper into the mattress. And within minutes, her breathing had evened out and Yongsun was pretty sure she was asleep.

Aware that she should be getting back to her father now that she had dealt with the idiocies of overzealous Beta guards, but not wanting to leave Moonbyul's side, she lingered for a few minutes longer watching her sleep, before she convinced herself that she was doing the unconscious girl no more good staying than she would by leaving. So with great reluctance, she lent forward and kissed Moonbyul on the forehead before removing her hand and straightening up, pausing only slightly at the door before closing it behind her.

***

By the time Yongsun returned to her father's bedroom, he had long finished the food he had been eating, and had been engaged in reading a book when he heard her close the door, and raised his head with interest.

"What was it?"

"Oh just some... idiotic Beta, beating the living daylights out of my Alpha for no good reason." She paused, then looked up, a little guiltily at her father. "I hope my decision to fire him was not too out of line."

The King shook his head.

"Of course not. Anyone who wrongs my daughter should be punished accordingly. And your Alpha is part of your pride and reputation. To beat one without their Omega's express consent is a grave offence."

Yongsun nodded, though there was something in her eyes to suggest that she still wasn't quite sure about her choice of punishment.

"You have seen to her?" her father inquired.

"She's sleeping now. It should be fine to leave her for tonight."

Her father nodded and turned back to his book as Yongsun resumed the embroidery pattern she had been working on, the two of them sitting in companionable silence. Not a few minutes later however, another knock on the door brought both their gazes over to it, and Yongsun stood up after reassuring her father that she would turn them away if they intended to bother him with something. Outside the door stood the manservant she was most familiar with, as he was the most recent personal manservant to her father.

"Yes, Yeonho?"

Yeonho bowed his head and held out a folder towards her.

"Your majesty, you requested the records of all the Beta guards?"

Yongsun made a sort of affirmative humming noise and took the folder from Yeonho's hand, flicking through it with a furrow between her eyebrows. She stopped eventually on a page about halfway through, touching her finger to the attached photograph for a moment, before handing the folder back to the manservant on the open page.

"I would appreciate it if it could be arranged that this guard be fired by tomorrow morning. He has made a very poor decision at the expense of my Alpha and he is to be no longer employed here."

Yeonho nodded his head.

"I shall see it attended to immediately your majesty."

Taking a moment to remove the page from the file, he closed it, the page on top, before bowing once more to Yongsun and removing himself from the doorway. But Yongsun, who had had a troubled expression on her face ever since leaving Moonbyul behind in her bedroom, stopped him before he had made it more than a few metres down the corridor. Running slightly to catch up to him, he turned and bowed before she had even stopped walking.

"Yes, your majesty?"

"I've changed my mind. Don't fire him just yet," she said, nodding as if in self-confirmation of her own words. "Set it for a week's time."

Yeonho nodded.

"Of course your majesty. Is there any reason as to why that I may help you with also?"

Yongsun paused for a moment, and then, as if rising up from some previously unknown part of herself, a small smile worked it's way onto her face.

"Well since you mention it, there is something you can assist me with."


	16. Family Talk

Wheein paused in the centre of the courtyard, hands in her pockets as she stared up at the moon. It was a crescent-moon tonight, expected for this point during the month, but this made the night darker than it would be later on. And although it was April and well into springtime now, the wind still had a nip about it that chilled Wheein even through her jacket.

Tearing her eyes away from the moon, her gaze shifted onto the upper windows of the palace, and she wondered idly if any of them would lead straight into the room that Moonbyul was being held in. Hyejin had told her about the whipping, the Omega herself having easily caught wind of it through the underground gossip network that seemed to connect every palace servant to every noble in the city.

Hyejin hadn't provided the information as to _why_ Moonbyul had been whipped, but Wheein was pretty certain it had nothing to do with what had happened between them in the carriage. Moonbyul was a pretty simple Alpha, as Alphas went, but she wasn't stupid, and Wheein was confident that whatever the reason was, it was far from self-inflicted.

Turning on the spot, her eyes landed on the whipping post and she almost imagined that she could feel her heart turning hard and stony. The very sight of the things sickened her and she couldn't help herself from feeling angry on Moonbyul's behalf, knowing that the passive Alpha would most likely have taken her punishment as if she deserved every strike.

But it was then that something caught her eye, a barely distinguishable dark shape near the base of the whipping post. Intrigued, but hesitant at moving closer to the object of her disgust, she took in a firm breath moving stepping forward and moving over to the post.

Crouching down, she picked up the small item and looked at it closely, trying to determine what it was. And it wasn't long before the dots connected in her head and she remembered where she had seen it before. It was Moonbyul's flower token-turned-necklace, it's leather strap ripped from it's groove. Wheein ran her thumb across the edge, silently considering the flower token in her hand, before she tucked it into her pocket and headed round to the back of the palace.

***

It was probably safe to say that Moonbyul had never been in more pain in her life.

The pain was there as soon as she woke up, a burning, prickling, agonising ache that seemed to permeate through every muscle and bone like a pestilence, leaving behind nothing but a raw, throbbing soreness to the damaged skin. She couldn't have moved even if she wanted to, and even each laboured breath sent the slightest stab of pain down her spine.

Perhaps she had forgotten quite how painful the aftermath of her previous whippings had been, for they say that even excruciating pain can be forgotten with time. But Moonbyul couldn't remember any of those times being as painful as this.

The soft mattress and pillows propping up her body were a comfort at least, and she found herself sinking gratefully back into them, for awake as she now was, she couldn't help but wish after sleep again. Yesterday, there had been an odd sort of numbness to her wounds, so that she had still been able to stay conscious and coherent when talking to Yongsun. But overnight the pain had seemed to develop somehow, so that it was now practically unbearable.

She was unsure what time it was, as the curtains had been drawn since she had been knocked out by the laudanum. As far as she could tell she was alone in the room, although she was unable to turn her head to check the other side of the bed.

An indeterminable amount of time later, although Moonbyul would've guessed at about half an hour, she heard low voices outside of the door, too quiet to distinguish the owners. And soon after the door opened and someone entered, although Moonbyul couldn't quite see them, even on the edge of her vision. She waited patiently for the person to make themselves known to her, as they crossed over to the window and drew back the curtains, letting the early morning light filter it's way inside the bedroom.

And then finally they moved round the bed and crouched down in front of her, and the cautiously smiling face of Yongsun came into view.

"Hey. You been awake long?"

Moonbyul shook her head as much as she was able to.

"Half an hour maybe."

"Doctor Midian wanted to come in and examine you, but I told him to wait until I'd checked up on you first. See if you're ready for him and such."

Moonbyul didn't give a direct reply to this, but answered Yongsun all the same.

"It hurts."

Yongsun took in a sympathetic breath through her teeth and nodded.

"I know."

Moonbyul noticed that Yongsun's eyes hardened slightly, as if she were keeping some undue anger at bay, and she swallowed dryly, hoping that it wasn't anything to do with her.

"You need some water?" Yongsun asked her, straightening up.

"Please."

"I'll get you some, okay?"

Yongsun managed a smile before she left, but Moonbyul could see that it was strained, with little geniality behind it. Alone once more, she attempted to find out how restricted her movements had now become with the injuries on her back, which resulted in nothing more than a fresh wave of pain and distinct sense of regret.

Yongsun returned quickly, a cup of water and some sort of cloth in hand, which Moonbyul saw to be a handkerchief when Yongsun crouched next to the bed again. Dipping the handkerchief in the cup, she brushed it along Moonbyul's bottom lip to moisten it, before very carefully helping her to take a few small sips.

"Thank you," Moonbyul mumbled in response.

Yongsun smiled and ran a gentle hand through her hair.

"Y'know, I never got the chance to congratulate you."

"On winning the tournament?"

Yongsun nodded.

"I have to admit, I was not sure that you even could. There were some pretty strong Alphas in that line-up. However did you do it?"

Moonbyul gave her a slightly despairing look, and Yongsun seemed to realise her mistake.

"Sorry. I'll ask you later. Not the time hmm?"

Moonbyul didn't respond to this, not least in part that she wasn't really able to, but she hoped that Yongsun picked up the look in her eyes and understood what she wanted to say. Not giving confirmation one way or the other, Yongsun continued gently fondling strands of Moonbyul's hair between her fingertips, and the Alpha found herself relaxing into the touch, the pain in her back, even if just for a moment, seeming to ebb somewhat.

"Are you okay with me bringing Doctor Midian in now?" Yongsun asked, after a minute or two of this.

Thinking herself not having much of a choice, Moonbyul nodded and Yongsun smiled at her before getting up and heading back over to the bedroom door. She returned in seconds with Dr Midian behind her, his big brown medical bag in tow, and Moonbyul braced herself for what she knew was going to be a whole lot of pain.

"Ah, Alpha. You look unusually well-rested. I take it the laudanum worked?"

"Like a treat doctor," Yongsun answered for her, much to Moonbyul's gratitude. "I've never seen someone fall asleep that fast."

Dr Midian nodded, although he looked a little concerned.

"Laudanum works well as an emergency anaesthetic, but you shouldn't become reliant on it. The opium content makes it highly addictive."

Moving to the top end of the bed, Dr Midian drew back the bed covers and gave Moonbyul an apologetic look.

"Now I'm afraid we're going to have to roll you over before we sit you up."

Letting out a short sigh of resignment to her fate, Moonbyul nodded and gritted her teeth as Dr Midian rolled her as gently as he could and then helped her up with an equal amount of care. And Moonbyul couldn't help but think that his hands were unusually soft, and wondered how she was only just noticing this now.

Now upright, Dr Midian guided to sit at the edge of the bed, bowed forward slightly to bare her back to him. Moonbyul winced as he began peeling the bandages away from her damaged skin, and Yongsun noticed her right hand flexing against the bed, bunching the sheets up into a fist. The inside of the bandages were coated in splotches of dried blood, and Doctor Midian quickly bunched them up into a ball to dispose of later.

He was a long time inspecting Moonbyul's back, doing far more observation than anything else, and Yongsun watched him closely, her eyebrows arched up into a worried frown, until she could barely the silence no longer.

"Is everything okay?"

Doctor Midian nodded, though he didn't look up at her.

"She's healing more or less how I expected. I was hoping I wouldn't have to stitch any of them up and I think we might still manage it. Best restrict any movement as much as you can for the next few days though."

Dr Midian then began pressing gently along the wounds very carefully, hardly a feather's touch, checking each one for infection until he was satisfied that they were clean and continuing to heal, at which point he began wrapping her torso in clean bandages once more.

"There we are, all done," he said, patting Moonbyul's shoulder. "I'll come back tomorrow morning and check up on them again, okay?"

Moonbyul nodded and thanked him, much to Yongsun's approval.

"May I ask however, how bad is the pain at present? Do you think you could sleep without relief?"

Moonbyul paused uncertainly.

"I'm... not sure that I could, doctor."

Dr Midian hummed to himself and then turned to Yongsun.

"You can give her some more of the laudanum again tonight if necessary, but I want her to be off of it as soon as possible."

Yongsun nodded and Dr Midian bowed to her, before retreating from the room backwards, his brown medical bag in hand. Fussing about the Alpha for a few minutes, trying to make her as comfortable as possible, Yongsun could deny the inevitability of her leaving no longer and gave Moonbyul an apologetic smile.

"I must return to my father now. You shall be alright on your own?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Quite alright Yongsun."

Yongsun nodded, although she dithered a little awkwardly at the side of the bed.

"Well, should you find yourself in need of company, I could most certainly send Jiae up to sit with you."

Moonbyul inclined her head.

"Thank you. I will consider it."

Smiling warmly, Yongsun traced a line down Moonbyul's jaw with her finger, before cupping her cheek in her hand.

"Rest, okay? I'll come and see you again later."

Moonbyul nodded and Yongsun kissed her lightly on the forehead before finally withdrawing from the bedroom once more.

***

Yongsun was to be diverted from her destination yet again however, as she encountered Yeonho in the corridor on the way up to her father's quarters and stopped him, eager to know how far along he was with what she had tasked him to do.

"Oh, Yeonho. Did you do everything I asked?"

Yeonho nodded.

"Yes your majesty. I set his official termination for the end of the week and I've sourced a third-grade facility for the Alpha, just as you requested."

Yongsun beamed.

"Excellent, thank you Yeonho."

"Speaking of the Alpha your majesty, would you like to choose them or should I?"

Yongsun tilted her head to the side and smiled.

"I trust your judgement."

Yeonho bowed his head.

"Of course your majesty. I shall try and make the best decision for you."

A slight look of hesitance crossed Yongsun's face for a moment, before she spoke again.

"I should like to come and see the places these Alpha's come from, but I do not to wish to leave my father or my Alpha's side any longer than is necessary. And such a place regardless, I hesitate to mention, would probably not be a place in which royalty should be seen."

"Indeed your majesty."

Bowing once more to her, Yeonho went on his way and Yongsun continued on hers, heading back up to her father's room, where she was to stay with him until late that evening.

***

Hyejin took a languid drag from her cigarette and let the smoke twist out into the night air from the balcony on which her and Wheein were sitting. The balcony in particular was part of Hyejin's expensive town house, a place that Wheein was perhaps less familiar with than would really make sense to any unknowing onlooker, who thought them merely married.

"I'll admit, the whipping was a twist I was not expecting."

Wheein glanced at Hyejin for a moment before looking back down at the wooden planking that made up the balcony floor, not gracing the Omega with a response. While Hyejin was sitting, relaxed and reclined on her chair, balancing her cigarette holder gracefully between her fingers, Wheein was hunched forward uncomfortably in her own, her hands clasped firmly in front of her.

"I would very much like to know what she did to receive such a thing, though I can't help but think it scandalous if it is still yet unknown to the palace staff."

Again Wheein said nothing, and Hyejin finally caught onto her silence with an air of slightly irritated amusement.

"Y'know, you could at least pretend that you want to be here."

Wheein didn't respond to this for a few seconds, enough so that Hyejin thought her not to be responding at all, until she spoke quietly and without intonation.

"Where would be the merit in that?"

Hyejin smirked and exhaled another mouthful of cigarette smoke.

"I do not know why I allow you to act this way."

Another side glance, but Wheein once again refrained from answering.

"Oh be off with you if you must, I'm sick of looking at your hangdog face," Hyejin eventually exclaimed, after a few more minutes sullen silence from the Alpha. "But I expect you back as usual."

Wheein nodded and immediately got up to leave, but was stopped by Hyejin's hand on her wrist. Standing up, the Omega moved closer to her, crowding her in to the door leading back into house. She then lent in, almost as if she were about to kiss her, and Wheein froze as Hyejin's soft exhales hit her mouth, just inches away from connecting them.

"Just..." Hyejin eventually started, her piercing eyes captivating Wheein's own. "Don't forget your position. Alright?"

Forcing herself not to visibly tremble, Wheein nodded and Hyejin finally let her go, reclining back in her chair and taking in another slow drag from her cigarette, her eyes fixed on the city before her as the evening wound down into night. 

***

It had since been several days since the whipping, and Moonbyul, on the word of Doctor Midian, was healing well.

The Alpha had been dozing when she heard the bedroom door open for the first time since Yongsun's visit that morning, but she wasn't alarmed by it, as she knew immediately from her scent that it was Yongsun. There were evident tinges of distress on the edge of her scent, and with slight difficulty, she levered herself into a sitting position, her hand supporting her on the mattress behind, as she tried to see what was wrong. Yongsun, seeming not to have noticed that she was awake, had sat herself on the end of the bed and had her face buried in her hands. And Moonbyul couldn't be sure, as she wasn't making any noise to suggest so, but she thought that she might possibly be crying.

"Yongsun?"

Yongsun rose her head and hastily wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, confirming Moonbyul's suspicions. Not wanting to make Yongsun feel anymore self-conscious than she might already, Moonbyul hung her head and didn't say anything.

"Sorry I... sorry."

Surprised, Moonbyul looked at Yongsun with distinct confusion and shook her head insistently.

"What are you apologising for?"

Yongsun shook her head.

"I shouldn't be crying in front of you."

Moonbyul frowned but didn't push Yongsun to elaborate, and just continued to watch her with careful, searching eyes.

"I'm sorry I can't visit you more in the day. The only time I feel able to leave appa's side is when he's asleep."

Moonbyul shook her head.

"You should be with your father."

Yongsun raised her head, her eyes shadowed slightly from an assumed lack of sleep over the past few days, and then gestured offhandedly with her index and middle finger.

"Come here. Rest your head on my lap."

Obliging to Yongsun's wishes, Moonbyul carefully shuffled down the bed and curled up on Yongsun's lap, her hands gripping lightly to the sheets on either side as the Omega began playing with her hair, burying her fingers down to the roots and massaging softly. Moonbyul was unsure if Yongsun was expecting her to do anything else, and could only really start to relax when Yongsun started talking.

"My uh... my father, my _other_ father that is, he died before I was even born."

Moonbyul frowned, sad to hear such a thing from Yongsun but also intrigued to find out more, as she had wondered in odd moments here and there, why the King never seemed to have an Alpha with him, or why his Alpha was never mentioned.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled.

Yongsun shrugged.

"Can't miss someone you never knew right?"

Not really knowing what to say in answer to this, Moonbyul stayed quiet.

"Appa doesn't like to talk about him. He's usually a little depressed anyway, but it often gets worse whenever he does mention him. So I stopped asking after him when I still very young. It seemed an easier solution than trying to cheer him up constantly."

Moonbyul had found, about halfway through Yongsun's last speech, she had begun chewing on her lip, a reflex from not knowing what else to do. Yongsun was telling her things she had never expected to be told, and she didn't quite know how to react.

"They buried him somewhere in the palace gardens, I don't really remember where. It's been so long since I visited."

"Do you have a photo of him?"

Yongsun paused for a second, her eyebrows furrowing, before she shook her head.

"I don't, but appa might. Although we're talking twenty years ago, and photography was nothing like it is now."

Moonbyul nodded, although she looked troubled.

"I don't really remember my parents all that well," Moonbyul mumbled, and was relieved when Yongsun didn't reprimand her for interrupting.

Yongsun glanced down at her curiously, tilting her head to the side.

"You were thirteen right?" Yongsun asked her. "When you left them?"

Moonbyul nodded against Yongsun's lap, and the Omega smiled sadly, skimming her thumb across Moonbyul's pulse point, causing the Alpha to close her eyes and nuzzle slightly into Yongsun's hand.

"You don't ever talk about your life before."

"You never ask Yongsun."

"Well I'm asking now. So tell me something. Something you've never told anybody else."

Moonbyul was quiet for a long while, and Yongsun sensed that she had upset her somewhat with what she had asked of her. So she continued to rub soothing circles around a soft spot on her neck, with her fingers still tangled in the hair above it.

"You know how I told you... I didn't have any siblings?" Moonbyul eventually said.

Yongsun frowned slightly but nodded.

"Well. I did have a brother. A little older, not by much. Two years."

Yongsun nodded again, unusually attentive.

"I never mentioned him because... it never seemed relevant. And I'm sorry I lied when you asked me that first time. It seemed easier not to explain it."

Yongsun sensed hesitation in Moonbyul's last sentence, and probed gently to find out the reason behind it.

"Explain what?"

Moonbyul was quiet for a minute or so, her eyes a little unfocused, as if she was remembering a time long gone. But eventually she spoke, bringing Yongsun's gaze back down to her face.

"Do you know how rare a male Omega baby is for a couple like my parents Yongsun?"

Yongsun was slightly taken aback by this question, as if suddenly realising that she really didn't know the answer. Of course, everyone always said that Alpha/Omega couples had the best chance of producing an Omega child, the most desirable outcome for any parents, but Yongsun had never actually sat and thought about how genetics worked between different pairings, and whether or not certain ones really did produce more Omegas or not.

"I've... never really thought about it," she eventually answered.

"A one in a hundred chance I was told."

Yongsun's eyebrows rose up slightly in surprise, but she didn't say anything, and let Moonbyul continue talking.

"My brother was an Omega. Talk of the district he was. Had people from all over the city coming down just to get a look at him. He was the answer to my parents prayers, everything they could've hoped for. No couple could want for anything more than an Omega baby after all, especially one so poor as ours." Moonbyul smiled slightly, though it was a sad one. "After him, I was practically an afterthought."

Moonbyul's voice had remained level throughout her explanation, but Yongsun could hear the slight undertones, bordering dangerously on a waver.

"What happened to him?" Yongsun asked gently. 

Moonbyul shrugged slightly, tilting her head and closing her eyes again.

"He died, sepsis. From meningitis."

Yongsun paused, taken-aback, visibly affected by the short confession. She then turned her face away from Moonbyul's, unable to look her in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. That must've been really hard."

"Not as hard as it was on my parents. They could hardly even bear to acknowledge my existence for months, their only child now, an Alpha. And... I know it wasn't their fault, and that I shouldn't have thought this way, but for years I wished desperately that it had been me that had died. That if only I could've traded place with him, that my parents might've still had a chance of being happy."

Yongsun frowned, looking back down at Moonbyul for a moment before asking her a tentative question.

"What was his name?"

Yongsun felt Moonbyul's throat bob as she swallowed hard, and she resumed her gentle stroking of the Alpha's hair in an attempt to comfort her.

"Minhyuk."

Yongsun nodded, thinking it not appropriate for her to smile.

"That's a good name. Nice and traditional."

"Do you know my real name?" Moonbyul asked her, quietly, after a short pause.

Yongsun bit her lip, wondering whether or not to be truthful with Moonbyul.

"I saw it in your file, yes."

Moonbyul nodded, beginning to chew on her own bottom lip.

"I think I prefer my Alpha name. Helps me to forget the person I used to be."

Yongsun frowned slightly.

"Why ever would you want to forget?"

Moonbyul gave her a slightly pitying look, as if the answer to this question should be obvious, before she gently shook Yongsun's hand off of her head and sat up so that she was face to face with the Omega, though she didn't pull away when Yongsun took her hand instead.

"You asked me, during that first meeting of ours, about the circumstances that would lead an Alpha to be submitted to the choosing. I can't speak for others, but there was only ever one reason for me. It was to give my parents the slightest hope that maybe, maybe one of their children could make something of themselves. And that perhaps one day, they would come back for them. And that's why I went Yongsun, without question, even though I was only thirteen. I signed up to that facility gladly, because it was the one and only thing that I could do to make it up to them, to make up for Minhyuk's death."

"But Moonbyul, his death wasn't your fault."

"I know that Yongsun. But believe it or not, it helped me, having such a thought. Because sometimes, during the worst days in the facility, it was easier to pretend that it was my fault. It gave me a reason not to just end it all there and then."

Yongsun froze for a moment, the sudden horrible image of Moonbyul committing suicide inadvertently entering her mind. And Moonbyul must've caught sight of her expression, as she shook her head wearily and again, almost pityingly.

"Remember that there are many sadder stories than mine Yongsun. For there are those Alphas that never even get the chance to offer themselves for marriage. For most, extreme submission to an Omega is a small price to pay to avoid a life of constant poverty and degradation. For what is an Alpha without an Omega?"

Yongsun opened her mouth, as if to refute this, but just as readily closed it again. And the silence that proceeded seemed to drag on forever, causing Moonbyul to avert her gaze and wish she hadn't said so much.

"Come," Yongsun eventually said, pulling her hand away from Moonbyul's. "Let's get you back into bed. You need to rest."

Moonbyul nodded, grateful for an excuse to stop talking about herself, and she allowed Yongsun to help her carefully back into bed, tucking the covers round her as she lay down on her front, her head turned to one side.

"I'll come see you in the morning, okay?"

Moonbyul nodded and closed her eyes for a moment as Yongsun kissed her, her mouth soft and inviting, although Moonbyul could feel the ragged texture of her bottom lip, a product of too much anxious chewing, something she was all too familiar with herself. 

Yongsun then departed with a smile and Moonbyul let out a heavy breath, her body practically shuddering with the movement. Telling Yongsun about her brother had been a risk she wasn't sure, even when she was saying it, that she should take. But now that she had, it felt like a weight had been taken off her chest. Because finally she had been able to tell somebody else, to share with someone the sort of pain that never went away, and just to have one less secret between her and the Omega she was married to.

Although speaking of...

She hadn't given much thought over the past few days to her and Wheein's kiss, having almost completely forgotten about it to begin with. Extraordinary pain and subsequent opium drugging seemed to have that effect on a person. But during these long, quiet moments alone, when the ache in her back was just that bit too much to allow her to drift off to sleep, she couldn't help but think about it.

It still made no sense to her, but she had come to reconcile with it somewhat. After all, what was one kiss, especially one that didn't mean anything here or there. Although, even as she thought it, she couldn't help the pang of apprehension in her chest. Because indeed, she had no way of knowing if the kiss _hadn't_ meant anything to Wheein, or to her even, now that she thought about it. Because as committed as she was to Yongsun, it would be a lie to say that she hadn't felt anything at all during the kiss.

Kissing Wheein had been different to kissing Yongsun. Not really better or worse, just _different_. But what made it weirder was that she couldn't really describe how it had been different. It just was. And for the first time it had made Moonbyul think, really think that is, about even the possibility of two Alphas becoming involved with each other, in any way, shape or form.

By law, any couple that was unable, by nature of their biology, to procreate, was automatically outlawed, and this would certainly include two Alphas, regardless of gender. As a result, Moonbyul hadn't even considered that, even if something was illegal, that didn't mean that it wasn't possible still. So could an Alpha really love another Alpha? Was that even possible, biologically speaking?

In terms of her own sexuality, Moonbyul had been far too repressed in even the most basic expressions, to even give anything past that a second thought. She was attracted to Omegas certainly, their scents eliciting a certain primal reaction in her chest in sway with any strong emotion. But she hadn't ever thought about anything past that. It wasn't something that ever needed to be thought about, as far as she had known. And she may well have continued to think this, had Wheein never of kissed her.

But God, why were feelings always so tricky? Why did she have to spend hours and hours trying to drag one meaningful conclusion out of a tangled mess of emotion and anxiety? Why couldn't things just be simple and easy, where she knew exactly where she stood in life and nothing ever changed or went wrong?

Unbeknownst to Moonbyul, right now she was experiencing something she had had very little opportunity to ever go through until now. And that was the complex web of the human experience. Having been resigned to the same existence for seven long years at the facility, during the most formative years of her life, Moonbyul had essentially missed out on growing up. There really wasn't a thing that she really knew about the outside world, and this perhaps went someway to explain her persistent anxiety. How can one prepare for life after all, if you are never allowed to experience it in the first place?

But here in the palace, Moonbyul felt safe enough. Yongsun made almost every decision for her, and for better or for worse, that system worked. And Moonbyul was in no hurry to change it.

But that was enough thinking for today. All thinking ever seemed to do was exhaust her, confuse her, and honestly just make everything ten times more difficult to deal with. Thinking too hard about things was something Omegas did, something Omegas were equipped to do. Alphas were supposed to shut up and follow orders.

And so Moonbyul did just that. 

***

"I have to say, it is more of a spectacle than I would've expected from Yongsun," Hyejin remarked, hooking Wheein's hand around her arm and heading off down the main road. "But I always thought that she might have a vindictive streak."

"Are many nobles attending?"

"I shouldn't think most will bother. He's hardly a storied war criminal. It's more a performance for the underlings I would say. But I felt we ourselves couldn't afford to miss it."

Contrary to what Hyejin had been expecting, the crowd outside the palace gate was considerable, though was nowhere near enough to consider this a popular event. Guiding Wheein through the gathered public with a firm grip on her arm, the two guards at the gate waved them through and the two of them joined the smaller throng within the palace walls. The congregation here consisted of almost entirely palace servants, with a few nobles here and there, most with their Alphas at their side.

Glancing at Wheein, she noticed that the Alpha was looking at the whipping post, although more curiously she was looking at a part of the ground near the base of it, rather than the post itself, even though there was very clearly nothing there to see. Pressing her fingers firmly into the muscle of her upper arm, Hyejin tugged her away, grinning knowingly at her.

"Come Alpha. I do believe we'll be afforded a front row seat."

***

The Alpha was perfect.

Yongsun couldn't have imagined a better fit to what she wanted than if she had gone and chosen herself. He was tall, although perhaps just shy of six feet, but he had broad, strong shoulders, that popped with muscle even under his shirt. He would do just nicely.

Striding out across the courtyard towards the Alpha, who was standing still off to one side, his hands clasped behind him nervously. He bowed instinctively as he saw her approaching, the sudden lull of conversation nearby alerting him to her presence, and only raised his head when she told him to do so.

"Do you know what you are here to do today, Alpha?"

The Alpha bowed his head again and nodded.

"Yes your majesty."

"Good. Then I expect you not to hold back."

"No your majesty."

Standing back so that she was in prime view of the whipping post, Yongsun crossed her arms and stared at it, a quiet seething anger bubbling just under the surface as she remembered how Moonbyul had looked there, hands tied, head bowed and tears streaming down her face. True enough, she couldn't turn back time and stop such a thing having ever happened to her Alpha. But she could bring about rightful retribution.

Exactly on the dot of eleven o'clock, the offending guard was brought out from the barracks, each of his shoulders in the grip of another guard. A hush falling over the crowd, he was forced to his knees in front of post and his hands secured to it with rope by the guard to his right. Yeonho then stepped forward, a piece of paper Yongsun recognised as the order she had needed to sign, in his right hand. Clearing is throat, he began to read.

"In concern of the Beta, Lee Jungmin. For the crime of unsanctioned assault upon the Alpha of the Princess Kim Yongsun of Ihaengyeo, you are hereby sentenced to twenty lashes and banishment from the royal court."

Yongsun could see the guard trembling, and although the urge was there to feel sorry for him, it was so immediately overpowered by the searing memory of her Alpha in the same position, that her heart became hardened once more. She watched as a whip was handed to the Alpha Yeonho had picked for her to carry out the flogging, and her heart began to beat that much faster as he approached the whipping post and stopped just a few steps behind the prone Beta guard.

Yongsun eyes glinted with excitement and barely contained anticipation, as the Alpha raised the whip above his head for the first time and then brought it down hard against the guard's back. Unlike Moonbyul, who had managed to stay quiet for ten strokes or so before breaking down, the guard cried out immediately, clearly not used to such punishments. The Alpha's shoulders rippled with every strike of the whip, and Yongsun found herself forming an almost manic fascination with the movement, so much so that she almost fancied her heart to be beating in time with each satisfyingly bloody moment of impact.

Twenty lashes, it was said, was usually the requirement to first start to bring blood to the surface, if administered with reasonable force. Moonbyul however, had received her beating far from a degree of reasonable force, and so Yongsun had very much intended the guard would not either. So it was somewhere between the fourteenth and fifteenth strike that blood began to spot the guard's shirt, and by the time the whipping was over, his back was satisfactorily similar to how Yongsun remembered Moonbyul's looking.

Preserving a mental image of the scene in front of her, the glorious proof of vengeance on her Alpha's behalf, Yongsun turned and moved steadily through the crowd until she reached Doctor Midian, who was watching the proceedings with a rather worried look on his face. Bowing as she approached, he tilted his head slightly, waiting for her to speak.

"Treat this man for his injuries doctor, then send him away from the palace. He has been relieved of his position effective immediately, and is not to return here again."

Doctor Midian nodded.

"As you wish your majesty."

Casting one last glance back at the guard, slumped against the post, his back heaving as another guard began untying his wrists, she turned on her heel and walked back into the palace.


	17. Mating

The King raised an eyebrow in amusement as Yongsun stormed into his room, her scent and body language a strange mix that was some parts impatience, some parts frustration, but also a strange angry sort of bloodlust, that was usually associated as a more Alpha type scent, almost like that of a predator on the hunt.

"I thought you said you weren't going to whip him?"

Yongsun huffed and tossed her head, sitting down beside him.

"I changed my mind."

"Seems like it didn't do much to settle you."

Yongsun's head twitched, her eyes going slightly unfocused, giving her a confused, dazed sort of look for a moment before she shrugged it off, rolling her shoulders.

"Yeah I- I don't know. I've just been on edge these past few days."

The King gave her a hard stare, which Yongsun failed to notice at first.

"Yongsun..."

Yongsun glanced up at him irritably, her hands clenching and unclenching around the hem of her dress, and she finally caught sight of the harsh look he was subjecting her to. 

"What?"

The King shook his head and sighed.

"Don't lie to me Yongsun. You're in heat aren't you?"

Yongsun frowned, clearly annoyed by the insinuation before she stopped herself, biting back a retort and instead sinking her teeth into her lip.

"I- she's hurt."

"She's your Alpha. Use her for what you got her for."

Yongsun shifted uncomfortably on the edge of the bed, her expression conflicted and yet full of desire and want. It was true that she had suspected her heat to be coming on, but she had pretended not to notice how flushed and irritable she had been getting, putting it down to her anxiety over her father and Moonbyul. But you could only delay the inevitable so long and eventually she nodded, standing up and pausing for a moment, as her father touched her hand gently.

"Just... remember to be patient with her. If she's hurt."

Yongsun looked unsure about this, but nodded again all the same.

"I'll try appa."

As Yongsun hurried along the palace corridors back up to her bedroom, she could feel the slight gnawing pain that had been present in her abdomen for a good two days now, begin to get steadily worse. She had never delayed a heat this long, and had always prepared for them well-ahead. But then again, she had never had an Alpha with her before, and surely having an Alpha to help her through it was the whole point of having heats to begin with.

She passed a few servants on her way up, all of which eyed her for the briefest part of a second before flattening themselves against the wall and slinking past as fast as possible. And Yongsun couldn't blame them, for she knew that she must be quite the sight, reeking of heat pheromones, her skin flushed and eyes blown wide with desire.

As soon as she entered the bedroom, Moonbyul's head snapped up from where she was sitting on the floor, looking at her with wide, staring eyes. And Yongsun saw the way her nostrils flared as she took in her scent, and how her pupils dilated immediately in reaction, turning her gaze into one of strident longing, albeit that it was still marred by fear and hesitance. 

"Yongsun, are you-"

Yongsun didn't bother with an answer, as it was clear both what Moonbyul's question would have been and how she would've replied. Instead she strode towards the Alpha, clearly with a goal in mind, and took hold of the front of her shirt, dropping to kneel in front of her as she connected their mouths, kissing her hard. Having no time to prepare, Moonbyul moved her hands hesitantly to Yongsun's waist as the princess tangled her fingers into her hair, kissing her open-mouthed and messy.

They finally broke apart when Yongsun pushed her firmly in her chest and sent her falling back against the bed, and she winced, unable to stop herself, as the impact jarred her still-healing back. And if Yongsun noticed this, she didn't really show it, although she didn't immediately reconnect their mouths as Moonbyul had been expecting her to. So, seizing her opportunity, Moonbyul propped herself up on one hand and spoke quickly.

"I can't go on my back Yongsun."

Yongsun frowned, her heat-brain inevitably annoyed with Moonbyul for what it assumed to be a superficial reason for non-compliance. But the small part of her head that still retained some logic and self-control knew that it wouldn't be fair on her Alpha to force her to lie on her back, especially as it was at a crucial stage of healing. And so even as she let out a low growl of impatience, she relented for a moment as she thought about the alternatives.

It was unthinkable, even in a situation like this, to allow Moonbyul on top of her, or indeed, in any position of dominance. For although Yongsun was perhaps mostly unbothered, if still abiding to many traditional power dynamics between Omegas and Alphas, mating was the one part that she was not willing to relent to in anyway.

Yongsun noticed out of the corner of her eye, that Moonbyul was already shifting uncomfortably, not so subtly adjusting the front of her trousers. And seeing her Alpha already in such a state of arousal, despite not having been touched, did sinful things to Yongsun's heat-racked body, so much so that she could bear it no longer. Grabbing hold of Moonbyul's hand, she tugged her up from the bed and slipped her hands under her shirt, taking hold of it and pulling it up and over her head. And seemingly understanding Yongsun's need for urgency, Moonbyul helped Yongsun take off her dress and underwear in turn, the Omega's skin hot to the touch.

Already Yongsun was grinding hard against her, hands tangling in her hair and mouth back on her neck, nipping at the skin around her mating bite. And Moonbyul allowed the Omega full reign of her body, although she could tell from both her scent and the way she was acting that she needed to mate and _soon_. So she wrapped her arms more securely around Yongsun's waist this time, and tried to get the Omega's attention.

"Yongsun, please, tell me what to do-"

"Wall," Yongsun grunted out, beginning to wrestle with Moonbyul's belt. "You're going to take me against the wall and you're going to do it _hard_ , alright?"

Moonbyul nodded insistently, desperate to please her Omega and eternally grateful to her that she wasn't forcing her to do this on her back. For she would've done so willingly, had Yongsun insisted, but it would've been agony with every thrust, especially with Yongsun in a heat-fervour as she was now.

Sensing the Omega's mounting frustration, she helped her to undo her belt and tug her trousers down and kick them off, and then did the same with her undershorts, no foreplay needed to harden her. Yongsun's scent was intoxicating and overwhelming, sending Moonbyul hurtling into a rut of her own. But if all those years in the Alpha training facility had taught her anything, it was how to keep control when in a rut. And the dull ache in her back muscles was an appropriate reminder of what used to happen if she didn't.

"Hurry up..." Yongsun growled, groping impatiently at Moonbyul's shoulders, her wetness already smearing the inside of her thighs.

Taking the hint, Moonbyul took hold of the back of Yongsun's legs and winced slightly with the effort of picking her up and pressing her gently against the wall, using it to prop her up and take some of the pressure off from her back. Yongsun however, was understandably annoyed with how careful Moonbyul was being, and wrapped her fist around the Alpha's member, causing Moonbyul to practically jolt her hips forward, quite involuntarily.

She had never felt a need quite like it. She'd been horny before, or about as close to it as someone as sexually repressed as she was could get, but this was something entirely different to anything she had previously experienced. It was as if her entire body was calling out for Yongsun, and she was hardly able to form a single coherent thought, so demanding was the need to mate.

Pumping once on her member to make sure that she was sufficiently hard, though such a precaution was hardly necessary, Yongsun didn't waste a single second longer in coercing Moonbyul to sink inside her. And she was unable to stop herself from pushing her head back, throat bared and eyes closed in incomparable relief when she finally did so.

"Fuck," she murmured breathlessly, then squeezed her eyes shut even tighter as Moonbyul thrust up into her, an instinctive response to the eager twitching of her member.

"Ah, _fuck_..."

Yongsun's whole face was contorted with pleasure, and she seemed not to notice at first that Moonbyul was remaining stationary inside her, hesitant to do anything more without distinct instructions from her princess.

"How hard?" Moonbyul managed to ask, though she was struggling to speak from the overwhelming feeling of Yongsun clamping firmly around her. 

"As hard as you can. Please God Moonbyul, I need it."

Nodding, Moonbyul braced her hands against the wall to keep herself from slipping and began a steady rhythm, eliciting an ever increasing response from the Omega underneath her as she slowly worked up to a firmer, harder pace.

From Yongsun's position against the wall, it was easier to keep the pressure of her back as she thrusted into her, although it still sent little jolts of pain up her spine whenever she pushed in at a slightly awkward angle. Yongsun seemed not to mind too much about the uneven pace however, as she dug her fingers into the hard muscle of Moonbyul's shoulder and tilted her head back again, the vein in her neck becoming taught and prominent.

Mating it seemed, as opposed to sex, was in essence the same, except everything appeared to be doubled. Double the effort, double the adrenaline and double the sensation. Though Moonbyul had little scope to focus on the pleasure involved, as Yongsun was so evidently doing, as she was having to put every effort into keeping up a pace that was enough for Yongsun, but not such that she would damage herself. The rut, or perhaps Yongsun's heat, seemed also to have the unusual effect of prolonging things that bit further, so that it must've been coming up on fifteen minutes since they had started before Moonbyul began to feel her knot forming.

There had been very few times up until now that Moonbyul had actually gotten a knot, as usually you actually had to mate with someone, or at least deal with it yourself, in order for one to form, both of which Moonbyul had obviously little experience with. The feeling was weird, almost as weird as how it had felt when she first developed her member during puberty, and had had to get used to walking around with something between her legs.

Most of all, the feeling right now was one of dissatisfaction, that she could no longer get as deep with her thrusts, the knot preventing her from doing so. And Yongsun seemed to have picked up on this as well, as she growled hotly against Moonbyul's ear and muttered; 

"Do it, push harder."

Obediently pausing for a moment, just to readjust her position (much to Yongsun's annoyance) Moonbyul grasped her hips firmly in her hands and thrust harder, trying to push her knot into Yongsun. The sheer effort involved was causing sweat to break out across her forehead, and although the pain in her back persisted, the adrenaline from her rut was making it easier to cope. Blood was rushing and pounding in her ears, mirroring the pace of her pounding thrusts, as she let out a stilted grunt and finally pushed all the way inside.

Yongsun visibly winced, her face screwing up in pain, but Moonbyul hardly noticed, and continued rolling her hips, pushing in as much as she was now able to. And soon enough Yongsun was encouraging her with ever more desperate pleas, her fingers tangling in the Alpha's hair and digging in hard at the roots.

"Fuck, Byul, please. Go harder."

Wanting to please Yongsun and bring her to completion as fast as possible, she shifted Yongsun up on the wall so she could fuck into her harder, prompting the Omega to wrap her legs tighter around her waist and tilt her head back with a breathless moan, as Moonbyul risked pressing gentle kisses to her chest. Yongsun didn't push her away however, and in fact used her grip on Moonbyul's hair to more accurately guide her mouth to where she wanted it.

Moonbyul could feel herself nearing the edge, the pressure against her knot almost too much to cope with, and she hoped that Yongsun was close as well, as she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold on. Glancing up, she noticed that Yongsun's face was lost in utter bliss, her eyes closed and her pale neck bared for Moonbyul's view. And it was then that Moonbyul had the sudden, practically blinding urge to bite the Omega, the unmarked expanse of her throat almost too enticing to resist.

She forced herself to look away then, returning her attention back to Yongsun's chest, knowing that any Alpha who dared bite an Omega, heat or not, was practically asking for a death sentence. And it wasn't long before she felt Yongsun tense, wrapping her arms around her neck and clinging on for dear life as she came undone around her, forcing Moonbyul to release as well, not being able to hold back any longer.

She couldn't help but let out a heady groan of her own, pressing her cheek against Yongsun's feverish skin and letting the Omega cling to her as they both rode out their highs. She had never come this hard or this long in her life, rather unsurprisingly she supposed, as she had never come during her rut before, let alone into an Omega in heat.

The aftershocks continued for maybe thirty seconds, until Moonbyul was sure she had no more to give, although she was still locked inside of Yongsun. She felt exhausted, but it seemed this was nothing compared to Yongsun, who's head was slumped against her shoulder, her body limp and boneless. Moonbyul wondered if perhaps she had fallen asleep, but a slight flicker of her eyelids proved her not to be.

Dropping down to the floor, she cradled Yongsun on her lap, stroking her hair and letting a low, instinctive rumble leave her chest, to keep her safe and comfortable until her knot loosened enough for her to pull out. Almost immediately, Yongsun pressed her cheek flush to her collarbone, her head tucked under Moonbyul's chin, and Moonbyul, too tired to carry her back over to the bed, let Yongsun fall asleep curled up on her lap as she lent her head back against the wall, her chest heaving still from her overwhelming release.

Over the next few days, Yongsun's heat became a relentless force, constantly demanding more from Moonbyul and seeming never to be satisfied. For every time she was let free and allowed to sleep, and would collapse, exhausted, against the mattress, or the wall, or the floor, it would only be a few hours at the most before she would wake to the feeling of Yongsun against her back, her hips grinding as her mouth found the ravaged skin of her mating bite. And it would then begin all over again, the never-ending cycle of satisfying Yongsun's heat.

Of course, Moonbyul had been preparing herself for years for this moment, it being her primary purpose as an Alpha to sire pups for her Omega. And she had thought, after that first night since the wedding, that she was more or less prepared for how Yongsun would act during her heat. But how wrong she had been.

Because nobody and nothing could have prepared her for just how raw and ruthless the heat would make Yongsun, who was usually so calm and composed, turning her almost desperate with lust. And finally, perhaps more than any other time before, Moonbyul understood why Omegas spent so much time training Alphas to be as submissive as possible. Because as soon as they went into heat, Omegas seemed to become dangerously agreeable, and more vulnerable than they would be at any other time. And Moonbyul could well imagine that, with the wrong sort of Alpha, this could be taken advantage of in a very bad way. 

But finally, after more days than she had been able to keep track of, there came a time when she woke up without Yongsun's body pressed feverishly against her own. And one glance to her right confirmed the Omega as fast asleep next to her, splayed out across the mattress, her blonde hair messy and tangled and yet somehow Moonbyul still thought she looked nothing short of perfection.

Pushing herself up with one hand, she winced slightly, as she was suddenly hit with the full effects of almost a week of non-stop mating. Her body was aching all over and there was a slight pounding in her head, her mouth dry from dehydration and her stomach twisting with hunger.

She had managed to get small amounts of water into both herself and Yongsun, in the rare moments that they were both awake and Yongsun wasn't insistently thrusting against her crotch, but neither of them had had anything to eat since the onset of Yongsun's heat. Moonbyul bit her lip hard, glancing over at Yongsun once again. By the looks of it, she was well and truly out for the count this time, and probably would be for a while yet. So she was reluctant to wake up the sleeping Omega, no less from the fact that she was also enchantingly beautiful when lying still like this.

But on the other hand, Moonbyul was ever more reluctant at attempting to step outside of the princess's bedroom alone, and try and seek out food for the both of them. As she was terrified that such an excuse would not be enough to justify her being out and about in the palace without Yongsun there to lead her. But eventually the pain in her stomach became too unbearable to just wait out, and she dressed herself quickly in her long discarded shirt and trousers, that would be easy to take off if Yongsun happened to not be quite done with her heat when she awoke.

Although now that she was up and moving, Moonbyul did become aware of a slight discomfort and soreness in-between her legs. Although she supposed it was only the natural result of having had a near constant hard-on for the best part of a week, and that same hard-on being used ruthlessly efficiently by the Omega that owned it.

Walking up and down the bedroom a few times to get used to the discomfort in her groin, she poured herself some water from the jug on the side, grimacing at the stale taste, before she made for the door and hesitantly opened it. And despite having been resident in the palace for almost three months now, she still had very little knowledge as to the layout of any of the rooms, and where she might find people at any given moment. Her first stop should presumably be the kitchens, but having no idea where they might be, she began making her way aimlessly through the palace, hoping desperately that some Beta servant might come across her and take pity on her.

So it was much to her relief when she bumped into Jiae several corridors along, who was holding a pile of laundry and looked about as surprised to see her as one might be to see a long dead relative. Stopping short, Moonbyul bowed in front of her and hastened to explain.

"Begging your pardon Jiae, for I know it is not appropriate for me to be out alone, but I believe her majesty has finished her heat and I thought it appropriate to try and sort out some sustenance for her."

Frowning slightly, but in more a worried way than disapproving, Jiae nodded.

"I'll sort something out. But you should return to my mistress's room at once."

Moonbyul nodded quickly and bowed her head again.

"Thank you."

Retreating backwards until Jiae had passed, Moonbyul fled back to the safety of Yongsun's room and was relieved to see that the Omega was still asleep. For even though she was pretty sure her heat was over, she didn't want even the possibility that she might have to mate with her again, even just one more time. And even though her stomach was still twisted with hunger, knowing that food was on the way helped her calm down a little, and not start acting like a starving feral animal.

Sitting herself on the floor, cross-legged, she contented herself with watching Yongsun sleep, leaning her head on her outstretched arm. She found herself losing interest eventually in Yongsun's unmoving face, and began dozing, the only respite from the gnawing hunger that persisted ever more aggravatingly in her stomach.

A soft knock, about an hour or two later of agonising waiting later, brought Moonbyul hurrying to the door, anxious for whoever was outside not to wake the sleeping princess. It was Jiae who had knocked, and Moonbyul made sure to bow her head, which the young maidservant acknowledged with a nod.

"Chicken rice porridge for her majesty," she explained. "And a special pot of ginger tea, compliments of Lady Ahn. She was visiting and she overheard."

Moonbyul nodded.

"I offer you my most gracious thanks, on behalf of her majesty of course."

Jiae gave her a small smile, and handed her the tray, before disappearing back down the corridor. Moonbyul shut the door with her foot and carried the tray inside, placing it on the floor in the centre of the carpet, before heading back over to the bed and crouching beside it, so that her face was almost level with Yongsun's again.

Truly she was at her most beautiful, as far as Moonbyul was concerned anyway, when she was asleep, as it was the only time when Moonbyul was justified in looking at her face for more than a few seconds at a time. When asleep, Moonbyul could appreciate her beauty to her heart's content, and not be constantly worried about stepping out of line or else somehow otherwise upsetting the Omega.

The scent of the food was almost too overwhelming, but she found that she could just about ignore it if she focused on Yongsun's face, and occupied herself with stroking gently through the Omega's hair. And it was as she was doing so, that she became suddenly aware of something that hadn't quite made sense in her head before. Of a feeling that she had never really experienced before, and so couldn't be quite sure on, but that was undeniably different to how she had thought she would feel about her Omega owner. 

And that was that, maybe, she was starting to fall in love with Yongsun. 

Not just in the way that Alphas were supposed to love their Omegas, like a dog's unwavering devotion to their owner, but in the way she suspected people meant when they talked about love. Her parents loved each other, or at least had done at some point, and she tried to remember how they had acted around each other when she was younger, before Minhyuk died. How had they expressed their love, and was it the same as what she was feeling for Yongsun?

Growing up as she had done, in a home broken from the death of their most beloved child and then in a facility, which encouraged personality and individuality about as much as a scarecrow encouraged birds, Moonbyul was not well accustomed to the concept of love. Emotions on the whole were not her strong suit, and love was the sort of emotion that nobody really understood, much less Alphas like her. The only love she had ever seen was the love lost in the grief of her parents over the death of Minhyuk, when she had been too young to really understand it. And if that was her only guide to approaching love, how could she ever hope to understand her feelings for Yongsun?

Moonbyul didn't know if it was the scent of the food, or perhaps the slight rays of sunlight filtering into the room through the drawn curtains. Or maybe it was just the feeling of being watched, but whatever it was, it wasn't too long before Yongsun finally stirred awake, and Moonbyul hastily withdrew her hand and averted her gaze.

It took Yongsun a few moments to adjust, to shake off the aches and pains of her heat and to begin experiencing life in a lucid state of mind once more, before she opened her eyes, if only for a moment. Yongsun screwed her eyes up slightly as she yawned, and then smiled sleepily at Moonbyul.

"Hey."

Moonbyul attempted to smile back at her, although the visible concern on her face rather dampened the effect.

"Are you okay? You want to go back to sleep?"

Yongsun shook her head.

"No, I'm awake."

"Do you want some food?" Moonbyul asked quickly, avoiding eye contact with Yongsun. "Your maidservant brought something up while you were asleep."

Yongsun raised an eyebrow and gave her a look as if to suggest that she didn't entirely believe her.

"Did she now?"

Moonbyul thought it best not to answer this and instead straightened up, reaching out her hand for Yongsun to take. Smiling, Yongsun did so, although Moonbyul had to move to support her rather more securely, as it became quite evident as soon as she stood up that she would not be capable of walking unassisted.

"Forgive me, Yongsun," Moonbyul mumbled, looking away from her.

Yongsun grinned and lent more heavily on Moonbyul's arm.

"There's no need to apologise Alpha. It is merely the expected effects of mating."

Moonbyul nodded and shuffled backwards to allow Yongsun to stretch and adjust to the soreness, watching as she too got accustomed to the full body ache the heat had instilled in every bone and muscle in her body. Having more or less shaken it off, enough to walk at least, Yongsun crossed to the chair where Moonbyul had draped a chemise dress for her to wear. Feeling awkward, Moonbyul examined the carpet as Yongsun got dressed, and only looked up when Yongsun touched her lightly on the shoulder.

"Come, sit."

Moonbyul took Yongsun's hand and let the Omega guide her over to the tray Moonbyul had placed down earlier, sitting the Alpha down in front of her as she took a seat behind.

"I didn't hurt you did I?" Yongsun asked, trying to sound offhand, but Moonbyul caught the genuine concern in her tone.

"Of course not Yongsun."

Yongsun grinned lazily, her hand moving to rest lightly against the front of Moonbyul's trousers, the gesture undoubtedly one of possession.

"My big strong Alpha..." she crooned, softly, into Moonbyul's ear.

Her cheeks flushing quite involuntarily, Moonbyul reached forward and pulled the lid away from the cooking pot, letting a cloud of steam rise up from the still warm food. Yongsun closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, perhaps not noticing the way she cuddled closer to Moonbyul, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her chin on her shoulder.

"Holy _shit_ , that smells amazing."

Moonbyul couldn't help but smile.

"You're hungry?"

"So hungry I couldn't tell you."

Post-heat Yongsun it seemed, was unusually good-natured and affectionate, sitting behind Moonbyul on the carpet as she was, her arms wrapped around her waist underneath her shirt, so that she could trace the hard muscle with her hands as she nudged her face against the back of her shoulder. Moonbyul, more or less used to the feeling of Yongsun's body against her own by now, was able to offset her blush, and ladle out a bowl of porridge for Yongsun.

Yongsun protested taking the bowl from Moonbyul for a few seconds, not wanting to take her hands away from her abs, but eventually conceded, with no amount of Alpha muscle in the world enough to overcome her post-heat hunger.

Taking the bowl in one hand and a spoon in the other, Yongsun gave her a lopsided sort of grin and began feeding Moonbyul between every other spoonful, one for herself and then one for her, and seeming to find endless amusement in doing so. Moonbyul was rather caught off guard by this giggly, laid-back Yongsun, but decided to think the best of it, dutifully taking the spoonfuls of porridge when offered, as she had ascertained that the best way for her to get fed was just to play along. 

"Thank you," Yongsun eventually mumbled, mouth against the skin of Moonbyul's neck, one hand moving to once again, press firmly against the Alpha's abdomen as she let the spoon sit in the bowl for a moment.

Moonbyul raised an eyebrow, a little confused.

"It's just... chicken porridge."

Yongsun laughed, the sound light and genuine, and one that made Moonbyul's stomach twist pleasantly and her heartbeat to quite involuntarily speed up. And she couldn't help but remember the thoughts she'd been having earlier. Was she really in love with Yongsun? And if so, could she ever confess such a thing to her? 

"No you silly Alpha. Thank you for helping me. I've never had help with a heat before, and God... it's so, _so_ much better."

Confused by this, and feeling emboldened by Yongsun's good mood, Moonbyul sought to find an answer to her questions this time, rather than letting them sit silently in her head.

"What happens during heats... without an Alpha? Is it like the ruts are?"

Yongsun tilted her head to the side in consideration for a moment.

"I daresay it's similar, though I've never seen a rut on it's own before."

Moonbyul paused, frowning, before she asked another question.

"Does it... hurt?"

Yongsun nodded.

"Yeah, it hurts. Christ does it hurt. Though you get through it in the normal way."

Finally catching sight of Moonbyul's expression, Yongsun pressed her for an explanation.

"Why? What were your ruts like?"

Moonbyul hung her head slightly, mumbling.

"Painful. Like yours."

"Really?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"In the facility, they used to transfer us to a separate room as soon as it started, to stop us from disturbing the others. And it always hurt so much, I never thought that... that it couldn't."

Yongsun looked a little confused by this, and voiced as such.

"I always thought ruts could be dealt with a lot easier, I mean-" Yongsun had the decency to look a little embarrassed by what she was saying, although Moonbyul wouldn't have minded if she had been more blunt. "People always said so. That they can knot themselves and such."

Moonbyul bit her lip nervously and averted her eyes down to the floor.

"We weren't allowed to... take care of our ruts, as such."

Yongsun raised her eyebrows in surprised.

"You mean, you never-"

Moonbyul looked suitably embarrassed by the insinuation. 

"I mean... some did, I'm sure. But I just couldn't. It always hurt so much and... it never felt right."

Yongsun shook her head in disbelief.

"But that must've been agony."

Moonbyul gave a slight shrug of her shoulders.

"I thought that was what the rut was. A sort of... punishment, to stop us from thinking bad things about Omegas. Nobody ever said otherwise. And it kept hurting anyway, even when I... tried to deal with it. I never knew that it didn't need to hurt." She looked up at Yongsun with wide eyes. "That you'd stop it hurting."

Yongsun was struck into silence for a moment, captivated by Moonbyul's gaze as she struggled to find the words to respond to her. But then she broke eye contact, shaking her head with a small smile as she nudged the spoon into Moonbyul's hand.

"Come now, you finish this bowl while I have some of this tea. I'm damn thirsty."

Nodding, Moonbyul slowly ate her way through the rest of the bowl of porridge that they had been sharing, too hungry to politely refuse as Yongsun poured herself some of the still steaming tea. It had a strong scent of ginger, that tickled Moonbyul's nose somewhat, an invasion to the previously all-consuming scent of a heat-ravaged Yongsun. Once having supplied herself with a mug of the stuff, Yongsun offered it to Moonbyul, who shook her head.

"I couldn't your majesty. It's your special tea. I'll just have water."

Grinning, Yongsun placed the teapot back on the tray, eyeing Moonbyul with one eyebrow raised in amusement.

"Where's that come from? _Your majesty_."

"Sorry, Yongsun," Moonbyul hastily corrected.

Yongsun smirked as she took her first sip.

"Y'know, I've never really liked your majesty as a title. With every servant and courtier alike bleating it out at the very sight of me, like they'll be shot if they don't. I suppose it's a necessary ordeal for the both of us, but one does tire of hearing it quite so often."

"Is that why you told me to call you Yongsun?"

Yongsun nodded, smiling thoughtfully.

"I wonder, did you think it was odd that I asked you to do that?"

Deciding there was no sense in lying about something so small, Moonbyul nodded.

"At the time, yes. I was worried I might get into trouble if anyone heard."

Yongsun smirked and took another sip of her tea.

"I should've liked to see them try."

Anxious that the Omega was well fed after her long heat, Moonbyul convinced Yongsun to eat another bowl of the porridge, with help from some auspicious use of her puppy-dog eyes. And although she quite liked this good-natured Yongsun, who seemed only all too happy to be more lenient with how Moonbyul was allowed to act towards her, she did find herself thinking that she probably preferred the normal Yongsun, who was confident and in control, and made her feel like she had a place with her, no matter what else was happening. 

But no sooner had she finished this second bowl, did Yongsun start complaining of a slight headache, alongside considerable fatigue, and she clambered back into bed to sleep. Wanting Yongsun to recover as quickly as possible from the after-effects of her heat, Moonbyul, after finishing another bowl herself, hung a window-covering over the top of the curtains to more effectively block out the sunlight, and then hastened back to Yongsun's side when she heard her murmur something.

"Yes Yongsun?"

"Lie with me," she mumbled. "I want to be able to feel you."

Moonbyul nodded and stripped off her shirt and trousers, leaving her in just her undershorts and torso bandages, before allowing Yongsun to spoon her from behind, her hands slotting just under the waistband of her shorts. And now that she could feel the Alpha's warm and sturdy body against her, Yongsun feel asleep almost immediately. But Moonbyul found herself lying awake for a good few minutes longer, just getting used to the rhythm of Yongsun's gentle exhales against the back of her neck, before she found herself drifting off into nonsensical thoughts of love, and pretty smiles, and beautiful blonde hair, which then eventually turned into a pleasantly coerced sleep.


	18. Proud Of You

It was Yongsun who woke up first, a few hours later, at which point it was already approaching evening again. She was immediately aware that her and Moonbyul were no longer entangled in each others arms, having shifted apart from each other in sleep. Feeling lazy, Yongsun dozed for a few minutes more, until the covers became a little too stifling and she threw them off to lie spread-eagled on her back, hardly able to keep the smile off of her face.

Glancing to her right, she saw that Moonbyul was lying off to the side from her, on her front to keep the pressure off her back, and looked nothing short of unconscious. Clearly she had been exhausted before, but Yongsun had been just a little too out of it to notice, or else Moonbyul had been getting better at hiding her feelings.

Spending her heat with an Alpha for the first time had set her on a positive high that seemed to have no limit. Most of her associations with the heat, the discomfort, the pain, the awful raging fever, and the days and days of unsatisfying self stimulation, had been wiped away completely with Moonbyul's help. And from what the Alpha had said to her that morning, it seemed that much the same could be said for her.

Feeling too hyped up on pent-up post-heat energy to keep lying in bed, she got up and headed over to the window, taking down the covering and opening the curtains to let the late afternoon light filter in. She considered for a brief moment waking Moonbyul up, but decided instead to let the Alpha sleep, knowing what she had put her through this past week and how well she had performed during it. She deserved a rest.

Thinking on what to do, she decided that a bath was most certainly in order, as the only thing that rivalled the scent of sex that still hung thick and heady in the air, was the overwhelming scent of sweat. Searching for something more to wear over her simple chemise nightdress, her eyes alighted on Moonbyul's discarded shirt and she picked it up, holding it to her nose and inhaling deeply. The scent of the Alpha seemed ingrained into the very fabric of the shirt, and Yongsun couldn't help the grin that spread across her face.

She headed down to the bathroom engulfed in Moonbyul's much larger shirt, her bare legs and feet very much on display, although she couldn't find it in herself to care. The bathroom that she used was a private room on the same corridor as her bedroom, built for just such a purpose. In the centre of the room was a large, round wooden bathtub, comfortably large enough that a person could float in it, if they so desired.

Usually with a bath of this design, water was heated separately and poured into the tub, but being royalty as she was, Yongsun's bathtub was fitted with two taps leading off from a pipe system, that could pump hot running water directly into the tub. And usually when she had a bath, she would get Jiae to prepare and run it for her, but today felt like a day of doing things by herself, and this was no exception. Taking a sheet out of the airing cupboard, she hung it over the bathtub, a necessary addition to prevent splinters, and then ran the taps, watching it slowly fill up with water as she added in various scented bath oils. 

Once full, she turned off the taps and left the bath to steam as she made her way back to the bedroom, losing the battle with her impatience not to wake Moonbyul up. Crouching down next to the Alpha, she began gently stroking her hair, wanting to see her reaction upon being woken up. For Yongsun was behaving rather like an excitable kid, pining for the affection and attentions of another person, bored now of being on her own.

Irritated by how long it was taking Moonbyul to wake up, Yongsun lost patience and lent forward to kiss her, probing her tongue against Moonbyul's bottom lip and waking the Alpha up in a daze, as Moonbyul was still half asleep even as she kissed back. And it was only when Moonbyul groaned slightly into her mouth that Yongsun pulled away and smiled at her.

"Hey."

Moonbyul swallowed softly, still taken aback by the sudden kiss, before she managed to reply.

"Good sleep Yongsun?"

Yongsun grinned at her and took her hand gently within her own.

"Indeed. But it's time for a bath now I think."

Helping Moonbyul out of bed, as her back was still sore and aching, she then let go of her hand and rifled around in the dresser drawer to hand her a new shirt, so that she was at least decent enough to head into the corridor. And it was only then that Moonbyul noticed she was wearing her old shirt, and she didn't quite know what to think about this.

She was half expecting Yongsun to take her down to the public baths, and so was surprised when Yongsun led her into a room she had never been in before, but that was quite evidently her private bathroom. A bath had already been run, presumably by Yongsun while she had still been asleep, and a barely visible film of steam vapour was rising up from the hot water.

"I thought we could use a good soak after the week we've been through."

Moonbyul nodded, relinquishing her hold on Yongsun's hand as the princess gently tugged it away, but then immediately turning her face away, her cheeks reddening as Yongsun began to strip in front of her. It was odd for her to do so, because of course they had already seen each other naked more times than Moonbyul cared to recall. But something about the casual intimacy of having a bath together made it different to how it was when they were mating. Because that, well that was expected. But this was entirely new. For it wasn't a game of sex and domination, but rather of cooperation, and Moonbyul wasn't at all sure that she would be able to play along.

"Just going to watch are we?"

Moonbyul bit her lip, looking away from Yongsun with embarrassment and stammering through a half-formed answer.

"My uh- my bandages. I'm not supposed to get them wet."

Considering this statement with a gentle humming noise, Yongsun took a step closer to her, Moonbyul using every ounce of her self-restraint not to let her eyes stray from Yongsun's face.

"Well. Let's take them off for now, hmm? See how well you're healing."

Moonbyul couldn't help herself from hesitating at this, but just as equally, could do nothing but agree with Yongsun's wishes.

"Mmm," she mumbled, as if in affirmation. 

Moonbyul resisted the urge to shiver as Yongsun circled her slowly and caressed a gentle hand up her back, before slipping her hands under her shirt and pulling it up and over her head. With the Alpha tensed beneath her, she began to very carefully undo the bandages, which were in pretty bad shape, seeming as they had been unable to be changed throughout Yongsun's heat. Her throat bobbing, Yongsun traced her fingers lightly over the still tender wounds on Moonbyul's back. They had healed remarkably well from the mess that they had been in to begin with, but the process had been inevitably disrupted somewhat by the activity required during Yongsun's heat.

"I think you can manage a quick bath, wouldn't you say? Then we'll get you right back to doctor to reapply the wrappings, I promise."

In no position to refuse Yongsun, Moonbyul nodded and the Omega beamed.

"Come on then."

Taking her by the hand, Yongsun led Moonbyul over to the bath and stepped in first, seating herself inside with her back against the top end, obviously encouraging Moonbyul to sit in front of her and between her legs. Eyeing the hot water somewhat nervously, Moonbyul took her undershorts off and stepped over the edge of the bath, submerging her legs about up to her knees, before she attempted to sit down in the water.

Moonbyul winced as the damaged skin of her back made contact with the hot water, but Yongsun soothed her gently, muttering sympathies in her ear and pressing kisses to her neck until she was used to the feeling and the pain subsided somewhat.

"There we go. Now doesn't that feel better?"

"Mmm," Moonbyul agreed, leaning back against Yongsun's front and closing her eyes, as the Omega drew lazy patterns across her abdominal muscles.

Satisfied that her Alpha was no longer in pain, Yongsun watched Moonbyul as she relaxed in the hot water, smiling at her absentminadly. For as well aware as she was that, in her current state, she had been simply unable to engage with her, having Moonbyul back with her, and able to interact normally with her, was something she had been sorely missing over these past two weeks or so.

"You know... I was thinking," Yongsun began, pressing gentle kisses to Moonbyul's mating bite between each word, which was looking rather worse for wear after her heat.

"Yeah?" Moonbyul replied sleepily.

"I was wondering if it would be possible for me to meet your parents."

Whatever Moonbyul had thought Yongsun might ask her, it hadn't been that. Her eyes flew open and she pulled away from Yongsun's shoulder, turning round to face her with a distinct look of surprise on her face.

"S- sorry?"

Yongsun gave her an amused look, but her eyes were more serious than her light-hearted expression might suggest.

"I want you to take me to see your parents Moonbyul."

Yongsun felt the Alpha physically tense in her arms, and instinctively pressed her lips to the back of her shoulder, in an attempt to relax and calm her. And it seemed to work, as Moonbyul leaned back slightly against her again, her shoulders falling limp once more.

"Um... Yongsun. You know that I would do anything you requested of me. But, won't it be quite... difficult? You are the uh- the princess. After all."

Yongsun thought about this for a moment, her hands absentmindedly kneading the hard lines of Moonbyul's stomach under the water.

"If we are to travel to the... less developed areas of the city, I shall disguise my face for the trip. No-one has to know that I'm the princess. Merely a somewhat distinguished Omega out on business with their Alpha."

Moonbyul however, still looked unconvinced by this.

"Um, Yongsun. I feel as if I have to say that, where I was born... you don't really see any Omegas. At all."

Yongsun tossed her head slightly.

"I'm sure no-one will question me."

Moonbyul nodded, knowing that however rare an Omega visiting such a poor district might be, it was absolutely certain that nobody would question their intentions. She opted not to mention to Yongsun however, that the main reason for this was because the only reason Omegas ever went into such areas was for... well. Visits to unsavoury buildings she would call it.

"I must confess, I seem to only have hazy memories of where I grew up," she said, thinking it important to at least mention.

"But you could find it, if you went back there?"

"I think I could manage it, yes. You know what they say, that it all comes flooding back. You've just got to be there."

Yongsun smiled warmly.

"Then it's settled. You'll take me?"

Moonbyul hesitated for another short moment before she nodded.

"If that is what you desire of me Yongsun."

"Excellent. Now let's actually wash now, hmm?"

Moonbyul nodded, nuzzling into Yongsun's hand when she ruffled her hair and allowing the Omega to guide her movements and help her get clean.

As promised, and after taking extra special care drying off her tender back, and then dressing them both slightly more appropriately for company, Yongsun took her down to Dr Midian's office, who was pleasantly surprised to see them, as he had just been about to pack up for the day. Sitting Moonbyul up on his examination table, he pressed his hands carefully across the skin of her back, checking for infection and broken skin.

"Mmm... there's definitely been some disruption. But it's not too bad. I'd advise keeping the bandages on during the day to prevent bleeding and taking them off at night to help dry out the skin and not to let it macerate. That might bring on infection."

Yongsun nodded and helped Moonbyul put her shirt back on after the examination, handing the roll of bandages that Dr Midian gave to her to Moonbyul, for the Alpha to put in her trouser pocket.

"Thank you doctor. May I ask, how long do you think it'll be until she's fully healed?"

"Well wounds like that, it can take upwards of a month. But she should be able to stop wearing the bandages in maybe a week's time, possibly two."

Yongsun nodded, although it was obvious that she had more to say.

"Do you think it would be possible for us to take a trip outside of the palace?"

Dr Midian looked taken aback by this question.

"What... sort of trip, your majesty?"

"Just into the city. It should only take a few hours at the most."

Dr Midian thought about this for a moment before he shrugged, directing his answer at Moonbyul for once.

"So long as you keep the pressure off of your back and don't engage in any strenuous activities, a short trip should be perfectly achievable."

Yongsun beamed and took Moonbyul's hand to squeeze it.

"Thank you doctor."

***

They set off for Ganang-dong that next morning.

Yongsun had employed the use of a traditional shawl to cover her face and head from the watching eyes of anyone they might pass on their way down to the slums of the city, the type of which had fallen out of fashion long ago due to being perceived as being demeaning to the female Omegas that most commonly used to wear them. To set this off, she had worn one of her more simpler dark pink and maroon dresses, with white sleeves and underskirts, as well as her navy travelling cloak.

Moonbyul she had dressed in an unassuming brown shirt and dusky red tunic, complete with leather belt and cowl, so that she wouldn't look too out of place as an Alpha in the city slums. Walking through the cobbled streets, Moonbyul made sure to keep her head low and follow behind Yongsun submissively, as would be expected for any Alpha of an Omega travelling this far away from the uptown districts.

Speaking of however, it was considerably difficult for Moonbyul to guide Yongsun through the city without looking as if she were, and she had to mumble directions lowly into her ear from over her shoulder. And hazy as Moonbyul's memories of her childhood were, it took them over an hour before they reached an area that Moonbyul finally began to recognise as her home neighbourhood.

"This is it," she mumbled, and Yongsun nodded, eyeing a vagrant at the side of the street who took one look at her and shrank back into the shadows of a doorway.

Yongsun had been confused as to what Moonbyul had meant when she said that you never saw Omegas in the slums, but as they continued on, it became abundantly clear exactly what she had meant. The people they passed, which were predominantly Alphas, went out of their way to avoid them, shrinking to the sides of the road and eyeing Yongsun in particular with a type of fear and apprehension that Yongsun had never seen before in the face of another person.

Moonbyul herself was paying less mind to the people and more to the buildings, muttering unintelligibly to herself as she tried to figure out which street her parents house was on. The streets of the slums were a sprawling maze of rundown ancient buildings, and haphazard junk-like newer builds, the houses thrown together practically on top of each other, and tiny, dirt tracked back alleys shoved into whatever space was left.

Yongsun, who had never seen such poverty in her life before, was beginning to feel nervous and she reached behind her to fix her hand around Moonbyul's wrist, tugging her closer and breaking the Alpha's concentration. Seeing the genuine uneasiness on Yongsun's face, Moonbyul hooked her hand around her elbow, gripping the fabric of her sleeve in an attempt to reassure her.

"We're nearly there, I think," she mumbled, as they passed through an open courtyard, scattered with a few empty wooden stalls, that Moonbyul vaguely remembered from her childhood.

They continued on for a few minutes longer, their surroundings growing ever more familiar to Moonbyul as they went on. Turning a corner, they entered a street that seemed slightly more put-together than much of what they had just walked through, with several larger, more professional looking buildings situated here and there amongst the ramshackle houses. And it wasn't too long after that Moonbyul stopped short, jerking Yongsun's arm slightly with the immediacy of the action.

"What?" she reprimanded, a little irritably.

Moonbyul didn't respond for a moment, as her eyes were now fixed on one house in particular. To Yongsun, it looked to be a very old sort of hanok style house, the two-roomed types which farm labourers had tended to live in when the country's population was more ruralised. It had been done up slightly, with what looked to be a homemade door and window shutters, but it did seem as if it was one bad weather day from falling apart at the seams.

"I remember the day the woman came here," Moonbyul said, quite suddenly, and Yongsun turned to her, perplexed.

"What woman?"

Moonbyul glanced at her.

"The woman who took me to the Alpha facility."

Yongsun was struck into silence for a moment, it having not even occurred to her that returning to her parent's house seven years after she left might bring up painful memories for Moonbyul. But they had come this far now, and there was no sense in holding things up.

"This is your parent's house then?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Yeah. This is the one."

Yongsun eyed her carefully for a moment.

"Do you want to knock or... should I?"

Moonbyul shook her head, though it was in such a way that was less of an indication of no and more as if she were trying to get something out of her hair.

"I should."

Rather than refute this as Moonbyul had been half-expecting, Yongsun just nodded and took a respectful step back, so that whoever opened the door wouldn't see her immediately. Attempting to swallow the lump in her throat and not quite succeeding, Moonbyul stepped up to the door and rapped hard, twice, before she lost her nerve entirely.

It was a little while before the door opened, long enough for Moonbyul to think that perhaps both her parents were out, or even that they didn't live here anymore. But it opened eventually, and Moonbyul was greeted with a face that she hadn't seen for seven long years, but that she couldn't have forgotten if she tried.

"Yes?"

Her father looked older, older than she remembered at least, with more grey hairs and a much more tired look to his face. Though in many ways he was just the same, with his weathered tanned skin from working long hours as a farm labourer in the sun, the wrinkles around the corners of his eyes, and most strangely of all, the exact same shirt that Moonbyul remembered him wearing all the time when she was a child, the sleeves rolled up and with a patch on the left shoulder.

Struck slightly into silence by the sight of him, she struggled for a moment to answer, causing him to raise an eyebrow in confusion and look closer at her. And for a second Moonbyul could see a hint of recognition in his eyes, though it was obvious that he didn't know why. Fighting back tears, she bowed her head slightly and managed to get out a few mumbled words.

"Hello appa."

Her father frowned, his eyes widening as he stared at her, as if not quite believing that she was stood here, right in front of him, and had said what she had just said.

"Byulyi..."

Reaching his hands out, he cupped her face within them, staring deep into her eyes. And then he smiled, showing off his slightly crooked teeth.

"God would you look at you."

Unable to keep her tears back, Moonbyul let one roll down her face, without even an attempting to stop it.

"I missed you appa."

Her father then pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist as Moonbyul buried her face into his shoulder, taking in his comforting and painfully familiar scent. It was just as she remembered, warm, comforting and earthy, like freshly dug soil, late night bonfires and hand carved wood shavings.

Pulling away, he took her face in his hands once again and smiled at her, before dropping them, his eyes roving all over her body, taking in the now adult that his once thirteen year old daughter had become. But it wasn't long before an uneasiness overtook his expression, and he tilted his head to the side to question her.

"Why are you back here though?" His eyebrows pinched down into a frown. "They didn't kick you out, did they?"

Moonbyul found herself glancing, a little wistfully, back at Yongsun, and her father started, having only just noticed that an Omega was standing not two metres away from them.

"Oh."

He stepped back, bowing hastily.

"Forgive me my lady, I didn't see you there."

Yongsun shook her head, finally approaching the two of them now that she felt that it was appropriate for her to do so.

"It is of no matter."

He hesitated, clearly debating over how to speak to Yongsun.

"Are you... from the facility?"

Yongsun couldn't help herself from smiling.

"Not at all Sir."

"Then, if I may ask, my lady, what is my daughter's place in your company?"

Yongsun considered him silently for a moment, before she gestured with her hand, as if asking to come inside the house. Nodding hastily, he stepped back to allow her inside, and Moonbyul followed after her, shutting the door behind them as she did. Once inside, Yongsun took a moment to look around the main room, appraising it with that air that she always had when in company of someone other than Moonbyul alone. Then she reached up her hands to her face, and Moonbyul realised what was about to happen. 

Moonbyul watched, her heart hammering in her chest with nerves, as Yongsun began unwrapping her face covering to reveal herself to Moonbyul's father. It took a few seconds for the recognition to register in the older man's face, but when it did, Moonbyul would've sworn that he almost fell over in shock. Immediately he lay flat against the floor, his face practically touching the rushes that were strewn over the stone tiles.

"Y- your majesty-"

Quite unsurprisingly to Moonbyul, but in a way that took Yongsun off-guard, her father's voice began to shake with fear, as if he were scared half to death by the Omega. The skin between her eyebrows pinching into a frown, Yongsun crouched and raised the poor man up by his shoulders, holding him at arm's length in front of her. And although it shocked her somewhat, she took care not to show any visible concern to the tears already falling down his face, not to mention the slight tremble that was wracking through his entire body.

"Come good Sir, do not be afraid of me. After all, it is you I am here to see."

"M- me your majesty?

"You are my Alpha's father are you not?"

Moonbyul's father glanced at Moonbyul, his eyes wide with confusion.

"Your..."

And then the realisation hit him. Nodding hastily, he bowed his head once more.

"Yes. Indeed I am your majesty."

Yongsun smiled and squeezed the older man's shoulder gently.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"It- it's an honour hardly able to be thought of your majesty."

"I suppose you are wondering why I came to see you," Yongsun said as she straightened up.

Moonbyul's father nodded, though he remained on his knees and couldn't quite manage to look Yongsun in the eye.

"Well, I sincerely hope it does not offend you to hear, but your daughter, upon my request, informed me of your family's past, and of your late son. And I felt a great desire to meet with the two of you after hearing your story. As you may of heard, my own father is gravely ill."

Moonbyul's father bowed his head and nodded.

"Of course. We are all in Ganang-dong anxious for his recovery."

Yongsun inclined her head, as if in acknowledgement of her thanks.

"May I ask, were you at all aware of your daughter's marital status? You seem surprised is all."

Moonbyul's father hesitated for the briefest moment before he shook his head.

"No your majesty. Once she was admitted to the facility, contact was pretty much void."

Yongsun made a small, considerate humming noise.

"Well, if it reassures you, your daughter has been exemplary company for me over the past few months. I would not hesitate in saying that she has made your family proud."

Moonbyul's father bowed again, clasping his hands together in front of him.

"I can only thank you your majesty, for bestowing such an honour upon us."

Smiling slightly, Yongsun touched his shoulder once more.

"Please Sir, do stand. You are in your own home after all."

Nodding, Moonbyul's father got to his feet, although he still struggled to look Yongsun in the eye, even as the Omega took his hand gently within her own.

"I only wish there was more I could do to help you. Of what I have heard of the lives of Alphas in your position, it is not one anybody would pursue by choice."

Moonbyul's father shook his head insistently. 

"You have done the most that you ever could have done, in choosing our daughter as your Sire. It is an honour for us beyond comprehension."

Yongsun nodded, but she looked a little distracted, dropping his hand and looking around the main room curiously.

"Can I ask, do you know when your wife will be back?"

Her father seemed surprised by this question, but answer dutifully.

"If she is back at the usual time, it will not be long from now your majesty. She usually stops by for lunch. Although she is not my wife. We don't have much cause nor means for marriage in Ganang-dong."

Yongsun inclined her head as an apology.

"Of course. I had forgotten." 

A slight awkwardness formed then, which Moonbyul's father hurried to break.

"But please, may I make you some tea while we wait?"

Yongsun smiled and nodded.

"That would be most appreciated."

Moonbyul pulled out a chair for Yongsun to sit on while her father boiled water over their small wood-fire stove, ready to make them all some tea. Upon her request, she pulled up a second chair to sit next to her, and Yongsun occupied herself with fondling the material of Moonbyul's trousers as she rested her hand firmly on her knee, while exchanging light conversation with her father.

And just as her father was pouring the water into a leaf-laden teapot for it to steep, there was a noise by the door and a few seconds later, Moonbyul's mother ducked into the main room, although she immediately stopped short when she saw that they had visitors.

"Oh I'm sorry. I didn't know we were having guests today."

Yongsun stood up, intending to assure the older woman that it was no bother and that she need not act any differently around them, when recognition dawned on her face and immediately she knelt to the ground in shock.

"Your majesty, I-"

Not wanting a repeat of Moonbyul's father's reaction, Yongsun knelt in front of the woman and raised her up with a gentle hold on both her hands.

"Please, don't feel the need to be constantly on your guard in your own home. You are my Alpha's parents after all."

Her mother frowned.

"Your Alpha?"

Her eyes tracked to where Moonbyul was sitting, still at the table, and they widened considerably, her mouth dropping open with shock.

"Byulyi?"

Moonbyul smiled weakly and raised her hand.

"Hello omma."

Not even completely aware of Yongsun anymore, her mother crossed the space between them in two short steps, meeting Moonbyul as she stood up and pulling her into a hug. Moonbyul, who was taller now than her mother, rested one hand on her shoulder and patted it reassuringly, as she was not well-versed on how to approach hugs. Pulling back from the hug, her mother seemed to remember that the princess herself was standing in her main room, and bowed once more, before staring at her with wide, curious eyes.

"My daughter is your Alpha, your majesty?"

Yongsun nodded.

"She certainly is."

Moonbyul's mother glanced at her, a great suggestion of pride in her gaze, and Moonbyul felt her chest well up slightly with emotion, that both her mother and her princess were putting such praise onto her.

"Now, you are Miss Moon I assume?" Yongsun asked.

"Oh, indeed, your majesty."

Yongsun smiled and reached out a hand, which Moonbyul's mother dutifully shook.

"It is my greatest pleasure to make the acquaintance of you and your mate."

Moonbyul's mother smiled and bowed her head, still slightly overwhelmed by having both the princess and her now grown-up daughter together with her in the same room, having not seen the latter for seven years, and having never of thought that she would meet the former.

"Now," Yongsun started, her voice taking on a self-important sort of tone. "If I may request a moment of your time Miss Moon?"

Sensing the serious nature to Yongsun's request, Moonbyul's father interjected before her mother could give an answer.

"We'll give you some space."

Taking hold of Moonbyul's arm, her father guided her through a side door and into the bedroom, where he moved to sit on the bed and, after a moment's pause, Moonbyul joined him. There was about a minute of awkwardness between them, neither of them quite knowing what to say, until Moonbyul glanced up at her father and he smiled at her.

"Would you look at you, hmm. All grown up. Last time I saw you, you were barely a teenager. And now look, every inch the model Alpha."

Moonbyul nodded.

"It's been a long time."

"I wondered sometimes if we would ever see you again. They never really explain how these things work, do they?"

Moonbyul shook her head as if to agree, and the awkward silence persisted.

Yongsun was a long time with her mother, causing her father to begin fidgeting nervously, clearly agitated as to the reason. But Moonbyul reassured him with a firm hand over his own, insisting that whatever Yongsun wanted to talk about, it wouldn't be something bad.

"She's been good to me appa. Better than I could ever have imagined."

He smiled, squeezing her hand.

"I'll give that to you, because she really surprised me. I never thought the princess would act in such a way."

Moonbyul nodded, agreeing.

"There are many times where she has behaved... differently to how I expected."

Her father grinned suddenly.

"Aren't you a lucky one hmm? Sire to the princess."

Moonbyul nodded, with a look on her face to suggest that even she couldn't quite believe it some days.

"Extremely lucky. I never thought I would be this... fortunate, in my mating."

"May I ask, how long have you been mated? It's hard to keep track of all the dates they bring the Alphas up, seeming as it's not really our domain, y'know."

"It's been almost three months I think."

Her father raised his eyebrows slightly.

"So, you've..."

Moonbyul's cheeks coloured on the instant and she nodded hastily, although she was pleased by the sight of the visible joy on her father's face.

"So there is a chance that she is with child?"

She nodded again, still avoiding eye contact with her father.

"A chance yes."

Her father beamed.

"I shall hope for an Omega."

Moonbyul's chest twinged slightly, as she was reminded quite suddenly of Minhyuk, brought on most likely by seeing her father for the first time in seven years, and then also the mention of an Omega baby, the most prized and precious baby that there ever could be. And perhaps her father was having similar thoughts, as Moonbyul suddenly noticed that he had started crying.

"Appa..."

Hastily wiping his face with the back of his hand, he held his hands up in front of him, as if gesturing in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry, I just- I can scarcely believe our bloodline is going to be tied with that of royalty. Did she not consider any Alphas of a... higher background?"

Moonbyul shrugged.

"She may have done. But she seemed quite fixated on me from very early on."

Her father still looked confused, but he shook his head with a small smile.

"Well, peculiar as that is, I have no reason to object."

Moonbyul smiled at him, and with another crinkling of his eyes, suggestive of trying to hold back tears, her father pulled her into a hug, squeezing tightly and kissing the top of her head.

"I'm so proud of you."

Moonbyul bore the hug dutifully, not wanting to let on to her father that she actually found close, affectionate contact like this quite uncomfortable, due to having been so isolated from anything of the sort for so many years. Pulling away, he scratched the back of his head a little awkwardly and tried to fill up the silence.

"So they... they've been looking after you? At the palace?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Very much so. I stay with Yongsun most of the time."

"Oh yes, of course."

He bit his lip as Moonbyul looked away, both of them desperate for a distraction, or a prompt for something to say. Moonbyul shifted slightly on the rough blankets of the bed, her back starting to ache her the exertion of walking all the way down here, and then from sitting on a hay stuffed mattress, the most common type amongst the poorer families in the city.

"Hey, uh, is something up? Only I've noticed you've been sitting a little weirdly."

Slightly caught off guard, Moonbyul stumbled to give an answer.

"Oh it's just... my back. I injured it a couple of weeks ago."

Immediately her father's eyes turned sad and downcast, and he averted them down to his nervously clasped hands in his lap before mumbling his question.

"She beats you?"

Moonbyul's eyes widened as she realised what her father had taken her words to mean.

"Oh no, not the princess. She wouldn't- she would never-" Moonbyul stumbled over her words, trying to find a way to make her father believe her. "It wasn't her."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Who was it then?"

"It was a palace guard. He made an... error of judgement. And I suffered the consequences."

Her father looked confused for a moment, cocking his head and furrowing his brow as if trying to recall something.

"Palace guard you say?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"That's strange. I heard from Yongwoo that there was a public whipping of a palace guard, about a week ago. I was feeling a little under the weather, so I didn't go and see it myself. Do you believe them the same?"

Moonbyul shook her head.

"I don't know. I hadn't heard of such a thing until now."

Her father shrugged.

"I suppose it's not something Alphas are privy to be told about. Especially if the King ordered the whipping and not your princess."

Moonbyul looked uncertain about this.

"I'm not sure if the King would be able to. He hasn't left his quarters since he fell ill, and Yongsun stays with him every night, and most of the day."

"Do you think he may die?"

Moonbyul sighed and shook her head.

"I don't know anything about medicine appa. But I can see that Yongsun is worried for his life. His illness is really getting to her."

Smiling sympathetically, he reached for her hand and squeezed it. 

"All we can do is hope."

Moonbyul nodded, and for a short moment they just looked into each others eyes, as if finally taking the time to really appreciate how long it had been since they'd last seen each other. Because there was an undeniable awkwardness between them now, almost as if they were merely acquaintances to each other, a ridiculous concept really, considering that they were father and daughter. But even so, it was there, and it wasn't showing any signs of going away anytime soon.

"Moonbyul."

Moonbyul broke eye contact with her father and hastened to her feet at the sound of Yongsun's voice outside the bedroom, immediately heading into the other room and kneeling at her feet, knowing that she had to act formally for the princess in front of her parents so as not to disgrace herself. 

"Your majesty."

Suppressing a smile of amusement, Yongsun rested her hand on Moonbyul's head for a moment, before motioning for her to stand. She then turned to her mother, who had an anxious, if pleased expression on her face.

"I will be in touch if necessary."

Moonbyul's mother nodded and bowed.

"Thank you your majesty, for visiting us here in our home."

Acknowledging their thanks with a nod of her head, Yongsun made one last comment to Moonbyul's father, remarking on the quality of the tea he had made, before she wrapped her shawl closely around her face once more and stepped out of the house. Moonbyul risked staying behind for a few seconds longer, in order to say goodbye to her parents, before she hurried after her, sticking close to her heels as they headed back up towards the palace.

***

Seungwan craned her neck to look out of the window, watching as the two smartly dressed figures made their back up the cobble path. Her brain fit to bursting with curiosity, she reached over to the bed behind her to nudge the Alpha that was napping there.

"Yah, Seulgi-ah. What do you make of it?"

Shifting slightly, the Alpha made a few irritated noises, her voice gravelly and thick with sleep, before she responded.

"Un, what?" Seulgi groaned.

"That Omega and her Alpha just came back out of that house. What do you think they were doing in there?"

Seulgi muttered some unintelligible grievance before turning over in bed.

"I don't know, banging it out? Who cares."

"I'm pretty sure someone lives in that house though."

Grumbling, Seulgi pushed herself up with one hand and gave Seungwan a hard stare.

"When are you gonna realise that spying on your neighbours all day is creepy and invasive and you should stop doing it?"

Seungwan rolled her eyes and turned away from the window, leaning against the windowsill and crossing her arms.

"It's not my fault there's hardly any action during the day. I'm so bored."

Dropping back down against the mattress, Seulgi pulled the covers tighter round herself and sandwiched her head under the pillow.

"Go do some laundry or something then, or talk to Yerim, or go and bother Sooyoung, I don't care. Just leave me alone. I had a very busy night last night."

Nudging Seulgi with her foot, eliciting a muttered; 'piss off' from the other Alpha, before jumping down and heading towards the door, Seungwan couldn't help but try and get the last word in before she left.

"One of these days you're going to regret being so mean to me."

Seulgi opted not to reply and so, satisfied of her victory in their conversation, Seungwan shut the door to the bedroom and went off in search of something other than a grumpy Alpha to occupy herself with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so, just thought I'd make a quick author's note here. I'm feeling kind of burned out right now from lots of life stuff, and I'm not enjoying writing this story as much as I have been. So I'm probably going to take a little break from updating, to give myself some time to think and just so I don't start hating it! I will try and get back to updating as soon as possible though, and don't worry, I'm not planning on giving up on this story. It might just be however that I spend a little time working on other fics before getting back to this one.
> 
> As usual, thank you so much for reading and commenting, and I hope to be able to come back soon. As for now, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and are intrigued about what might happen next...


	19. Frustration

As soon as they were back in her room, Yongsun tossed the shawl uncaringly onto the floor along with her navy travelling cloak and outdoor shoes. Sensing her impatience, Moonbyul kept well out of her way, undoing the laces of her own boots in the corner of the room. Once she had taken a quick look in the mirror to sort out her hair, Yongsun turned to her and Moonbyul starting paying attention, seeing that she wanted to say something.

"I have to get back to my father now. You'll be okay on your own?"

Moonbyul nodded.

"Of course." 

Barely gracing her with a single nod more, Yongsun turned and left, shutting the door loudly behind her. Alone once again, as she had been quite often recently, prior to Yongsun's heat of course, Moonbyul sat down cross-legged on the floor and thought about how she could pass the time. With her back how it was still, exercises were out of the question. And unlike Yongsun, she couldn't pass the time with reading, or embroidery, or even just conversation with other people, her not being of equal standing with anyone she could talk to.

Except Wheein of course.

Wheein was the one exception, the only Alpha in the city that she knew that was in a similar position to herself. And she found herself almost wishing that there was some sort of regular gathering for the Alphas of nobles throughout the city, so that she could at least occasionally meet up with people she didn't have to constantly be submissive to.

Back to the question in hand, Moonbyul considered all the times that Yongsun had previously told her she was going to be with her father, and how long she was usually away for. In the days pre-heat, she had most often spent the night with her father and then come to visit her in the morning, accompanying her during Dr Midian's visits, before leaving her to doze for the rest of the day until evening. Occasionally she had eaten lunch with her, but it had been more or less a one time occurrence. So today was likely to be no different, except that today she was no longer in enough pain to just sleep through it. Meaning that she had many long hours alone ahead of her.

It seemed then that there was only one thing to be done. Considering what had most likely happened to the guard that had whipped her, on the comments of her father that morning, Moonbyul thought it unlikely that anybody would attempt to punish her again, so long as she kept more or less within the rules. So she decided that today she would do a little exploring.

Technically, Alphas that were mated to nobles were not supposed to leave their sides unless expressly instructed to. However, Moonbyul thought it a pretty safe bet that Yongsun leaving her alone for all this time definitely counted as permission to roam free. So as long as she stayed within the palace walls, Moonbyul would think of herself as being perfectly obedient.

Her first port of call was the courtyard where she had been whipped. For as much as she didn't want to go back there, she had noticed at some point a few days after, that she was missing her flower token necklace, and thought it most likely that it had come off then.

The palace was unusually silent, with none of the courtiers, nobles, merchants and even sometimes foreign guests that most commonly filled the rooms and halls. For with no King to oversee things, almost all royal engagements had come to an abrupt halt. Moonbyul liked the quiet, although she couldn't pretend that it wasn't unnerving. As it had the sort of tenseness to it that made you expect a loud noise to be suddenly jumping out at you at any moment, and the longer this didn't happen, the more on edge you became. 

As such, it was a relief to step out in the fresh spring air of the courtyard, a significant chill still hanging in the air, but one that was sufficiently offset by the pale sunshine that Moonbyul had to lift her hand to her eyes to shield from.

There was nobody in the courtyard, save for the regular guard at the front gate, who had now been stationed on the outside as opposed to the inside. Trying not to look as if she shouldn't be here, she crossed slowly over to the corner of the courtyard with the whipping post, scanning the ground for any sign of her necklace. She thought it unlikely that after all this time it would still be here, but there was no sense in leaving it unchecked.

Seeing no sign of it on the ground or anywhere close by, she allowed her gaze to move upwards to fix onto the post itself. It somehow seemed smaller than she remembered, though she supposed that she had been kneeling when she had been tied to it. Examining it closer still, she was now noticing quite how old the wood looked, the surface weathered and etched from years of use. And about where the wrists would be when tied up, she could see that the wood had been worn smooth by the friction from human skin.

Feeling the sense of bile rising up in her throat, she turned away from the post and took a moment to breathe, squeezing her eyes shut tight as she tried to shake off the memories. She hadn't been whipped all that often at the facility, certainly not as much as others had been, but even so they all seemed to blur into one, no single cause for any of them making itself clear in her mind. As far as she was concerned, she hadn't deserved any of them, and neither did any of the other Alphas. For it hadn't ever been a matter of not following the rules. It was only that the rules themselves were just impossible to follow all of the time.

Bracing her hands on her knees and looking up, she scanned the surrounding area, her brain racing for a place she could go and calm down. For she could feel the familiar anger building up in her chest, and she knew that it would be unwise to let it overwhelm her. And her eyes then alighted on a side gate that led round the back of the palace, a seemingly innocent path but one which intrigued her. She had never seen round the back of the palace, not even through a window, and she was suddenly desperate to go and see what was there.

Straightening up and taking a deep breath in, she glanced over her shoulder to check that the guard was still posted on the outside of the front gate and unable to see her, before making her way over to the side gate and unhooking the latch, pushing it open and moving through before closing it securely behind her.

The path here was narrow and unpaved, nothing more than a well-traversed trail of impacted earth, the grass only growing in tiny, wilting patches here and there. It was cast in shadow, what with being so close to the side of the towering palace walls and on the opposite side of the sun, and Moonbyul began to feel out of place, as if she were sneaking somewhere she was not allowed. Eventually however, the winding dirt path opened out onto the back of the palace, and for a second Moonbyul wasn't sure that she hadn't just stepped through a magic portal into another world.

It was an untouched paradise.

The palace gardens were perhaps the most beautiful thing Moonbyul had ever seen, and yes, she couldn't help but think, even more so than Yongsun. For no one person, no matter how captivating to the eye, could ever surpass the sheer exquisite artistry of nature, that held Moonbyul in stunned silence for that first minute or so.

Although to be fair to Yongsun, it wasn't as perfect as it could be. Much like the princess, despite it's surface beauty, it held a sense of constraint about it, it's true expression contained and boxed into a presentable front. Glancing to her right, she could see part of the high wall surrounding the gardens, protecting them from outside view, topped with black iron spikes and made of ageing stone to which clung patches of moss and sprawling trails of ivy.

But even so, she couldn't help but be in awe as she began to explore, the gardens dragging her deeper into their depths until she could almost imagine that she really was outside the city, the arching canopies of the trees sheltering her from all the noise and light. Most of the perimeter of the garden was planted all around with these trees, all of differing heights although the types used remained fairly consistent. But inside this ring of trees was where the real magic unfolded, and the true genius of whichever gardener has planned this area was revealed.

The inside of the gardens was an explosion of colour, as everywhere you turned you were greeted with seemingly never-ending numbers of flowers. The flowers ranged from huge buds bigger than Moonbyul's fist, to large bunches of tiny flowers no bigger than her thumb, and in beautiful pastel blues and pinks as well as eye-scorchingly bright reds and oranges. And all this offset with a background of about every kind of green you could imagine.

The scent of the gardens was sweet and musty, moisture hanging thick in the air amongst the dust particles, illuminated by the rays of lazy sunlight making their way through the leaves and vines. Moonbyul was in awe as she slowly turned on the spot, taking in as much of the garden as she could. She could only imagine how long it had taken to get the garden to this state, as well as the effort involved to maintain it this way. There must be all manner of gardeners employed, though she had never seen any in or around the palace.

As for a place to relax and calm down, Moonbyul couldn't have thought up a better one if given all the time in the world. Ever since heading out on the journey to Yeokjo, she had developed a fascination with nature and the world outside of cities, and being in a garden this gorgeous was only making her more desperate to live a life where she was surrounded by this 24/7, and not trapped in the confines of a frustratingly civilised palace.

A little way into the garden, she heard the slight tinkling of a nearby stream, and eventually she found it, running unassumingly through the undergrowth of the garden, almost completely hidden until it bottomed out into a small pool. Just next to the pool was a bench, big enough to seat two people, although it would be a close fit. And just off from this was a small building, with a pagoda style roof. A quick inspection of this made it clear that it was a shed, complete with tools, gardening equipment, fertilizer and even a small workbench in one corner, with a rickety looking stool tucked underneath it.

Back at the pool, she knelt down next to it and cupped a handful to rub into her face, the cooling water working wonders. The strain of the last few weeks had finally been starting to catch up with her, and finding this garden to take a moment alone in had been the most fortunate accident she had ever made.

Dropping her hands from her face, she stared down at herself on the surface of the water, cocking her head to the side as if considering the distorted image. Although Yongsun had a mirror in her bedroom, she hadn't exactly been taking every opportunity to look at herself in it, and her perception of herself had been steadily degrading in her mind's eye. Looking now, she was sure that she looked older, or perhaps it was just the face of an Alpha who had gone through a few too many hardships recently and was fed-up. Either way, the face that stared back at her was a face of considerable discontent, and it worried her to think where this might lead.

But as she looked down at the water, something reflected in it caught her eye, and she raised her head sharply, confused, in an attempt to see what was making the reflection. And it was there that her eyes alighted on a slab of white stone, half overgrown by vines and plants. There was some writing on the stone that she couldn't understand, but the more she looked at the stone, the quicker she came to the realisation of what it was.

"Oh..."

It was a headstone.

She remembered suddenly, something that Yongsun had said to her, perhaps a day or two before her heat. That her other father, the King's late Alpha that was, had been buried in the palace gardens. And evidentially, the place he had been buried was right here.

Moonbyul shuffled backwards slightly, away from the side of the pool and sat down cross-legged on the soft grass, looking at the headstone. She tried to imagine what the life of the King's Alpha had been like before he met his untimely demise. Where had he come from? A facility like her? Or perhaps he had been the Alpha of an upper-class family, driven away in shame shortly after birth only to be brought back into high society through marriage.

She remembered that Yongsun had mentioned that the King got depressed whenever his Alpha was mentioned. She wondered then if the King had actually loved his Alpha, something which few Omegas seemed to do sincerely. And if so, had he loved the King back? It was hard to imagine any sort of reciprocal relationship between an Omega and their Alpha, but she supposed if anybody could've gotten away with it, it would've been royalty.

She found herself suddenly insanely curious to know more, and almost couldn't help but wish that Yongsun's other father was still alive. Not only would it have made Yongsun more used to having Alphas around, which could only have been a good thing, but she would also have had a mentor, someone in the exact same position as her, to look up to and learn from, on how to be the best Alpha she could be.

But she was not without her reservations upon having found this headstone, and she suddenly felt very out of place. This was not something she should be looking at without Yongsun's permission, and probably not at all.

Deciding then it was probably time for her to be heading back inside, she hastened back up the dirt path and through the side gate that separated the gardens from the front courtyard, then back up the front stairs into the palace. And once again she was struck by the profound emptiness of the entrance hall. Weirdly enough, it reminded her of an old fairy-tale that had been shared many a time round the children of the poor districts, by parents and public storytellers alike. A story of a royal palace in the mountains, which had been enchanted into an eternal sleep, leaving huge and empty silent halls only to be explored by the subsequent brave and handsome Alpha adventurer, who would go on to break the curse by kissing an Omega princess. 

As anyone hearing it today would've been able to tell instantly, the story was extremely old, old enough for an Alpha to still be considered the perfect protagonist. As a result, any such similar tale had been long struck from the records of fairy tales told to the higher in society, having no mention in any books printed since the overthrow of the Alpha-hierarchy. But despite the best efforts to reverse the mark of history, stories in particular are only lost once the last person to which it has been told is lost. And the original tale had been passed down from Alpha to Alpha, to now grace the ears of even the Alpha children of the modern day.

Eager to get back to familiarity, Moonbyul thought it was about time that she headed up to Yongsun's room once again and wait out the rest of the time until she returned. One thing she wouldn't want to do would be to come back and see that Yongsun was already there, as this would no doubt receive her a strict reprimand. 

But she had barely made it a few steps across the entrance hall when she was stopped by the last person she had expected to have to talk to today.

"Oh. Lady Ahn."

Moonbyul bowed low, despite the pain in her back, not trusting herself to look Hyejin in the eye. Hyejin watched her with a careful smile on her face and smirked when she noticed Moonbyul struggling to make eye contact.

"Where's your princess, Alpha?"

"I believe she is still with her father, my lady."

Hyejin titled her head to the side, considering this, and in the short pause that elapsed, Moonbyul noticed that Wheein was standing just behind Hyejin, head bowed submissively. 

"I see. Then I am sure she will not object to me stealing you away for a moment."

Moonbyul hesitated for the briefest part of a second before she nodded.

"Of course my lady. So long as her majesty does not call upon me."

Hyejin nodded, clearly satisfied by this answer, and turned to continue on her way. And having no other option, Moonbyul followed her, falling into line with Wheein. A few steps in, Moonbyul risked a glance at the other Alpha, certain that she would be avoiding her gaze. So she was taken aback when confronted with her direct stare, wide and pleading and certain to be picked up on by the sharp eye of Hyejin, should she choose to look back at them.

"I was just on my way to meet someone, a very important Omega from Alyeon actually," Hyejin said, not bothering to address either Alpha as she spoke. "We've been good friends for some time and she hopes to strike up a rapport with her majesty. I'm sure she'd be very interested in meeting her Alpha."

Hyejin glanced over her shoulder at Moonbyul, prompting Wheein to hastily turn her gaze to the floor as Moonbyul nodded, trying to look as if she was interested. It was an awkward journey, the two of them side by side behind Hyejin. They hadn't so much as caught a glimpse of each other since the kiss, and so for too long their feelings and anxieties had been festering, with no way of communicating and working them out.

Hyejin led them across the entrance hall and through a pair of large double doors into the main hall, which mostly served during the day as the place where the King conducted the majority of his business, and was also used for any large scale meetings or banquets that might take place in the palace. A long table stretched down the centre of the hall, which was only ever taken to the side when necessary. And so right now a number of small groups of people were sat at various places along it, talking in low voices.

Hyejin led them over to young noble-looking woman, who was being attended to by a servant who was dismissed as soon as the woman caught sight of Hyejin. Standing up she smiled and bowed her head, before kissing Hyejin on either cheek. Noticing the two Alphas behind Hyejin, she tilted her head to the side questioningly and Hyejin snapped her fingers at them.

"Alphas, take your knee to her ladyship Miss Bae Joohyun of Alyeon."

Hastening to obey, Moonbyul went down on one knee before the unfamiliar Omega and bowed, as Wheein did the same not two feet to her left. Lady Bae smiled in amusement and allowed them to straighten back up immediately.

"Two Alphas Hyejin? And here I was thinking you were picky."

Hyejin shook her head, the corner of her mouth just barely twitching up into a smile, such was so that Moonbyul began to wonder if it was even possible for Hyejin to smile genuinely.

"You place too high an opinion on my selection abilities Joohyun. This is my Alpha," she said, gesturing to Wheein. "And this is her majesty's own Alpha."

Joohyun raised her eyebrows.

"Her majesty's Alpha? The winner of the Spring Festival tournament?"

"The very same."

Joohyun gave her an odd sort of look and Moonbyul had to steel herself not to shift uncomfortably under the Omega's gaze.

"I can't say why but I did not expect a female. Her majesty doesn't seem the type, just from what I know and have heard about her." 

"I wonder how you heard anything at all," Hyejin commented, taking a seat next to Joohyun. "Ihaengyeo being the mystery kingdom it is- oh, sit down you two."

Avoiding eye contact with Wheein, Moonbyul took a seat on the bench across from the two Omegas and Wheein sat next to her, on the end. Both of them stayed silent, hands in their laps, staring down at the table as Hyejin and Joohyun caught up with each other.

"Now... the princess's Alpha hmm?"

Moonbyul raised her head at Joohyun's address.

"They say you can tell a lot about an Omega from their Alpha. I don't know how true that it, but's it's always fun to speculate."

Hyejin grinned.

"Speaking of, it would be amiss of me not to mention your own continued lack of an Alpha."

Joohyun shook her head, smiling.

"I must say I'm disappointed in you Hyejin. With you married off I'm now the most eligible young noblewoman in the country. Or Alyeon at least, though that's hardly a boast."

Hyejin glanced at Wheein, who purposefully avoided her gaze.

"I wouldn't rush it. They are not so interesting as you might want them to be."

Joohyun shrugged considerately. 

"Still. I suppose there always comes a time when spending your heats alone becomes a trial you can no longer bear to endure."

Wheein gave a sort of sideways glance at this, and Moonbyul noticed her shift uncomfortably on the padded wooden bench. And it was then that she began to truly appreciate the life Wheein was having to lead in comparison to her own. She at least liked Yongsun, as much as an Alpha could like their Omega. And she couldn't imagine being the Alpha of someone like Hyejin, let alone having to be her bed-mate. The very thought sent a shudder down her spine.

"Tell me Alpha, what is the princess like?"

Moonbyul glanced up at Lady Bae, taken off guard by being included in the conversation, and she hesitated for a moment, chewing on her bottom lip.

"I'm not sure if her majesty would like me talking about her without her present."

Lady Bae gave her a firm stare, but she didn't seem put out at an answer to her question being denied, as many Omegas might have.

"Mmm. Yes, yes, of course."

Moonbyul nodded and looked back down at the table top as Lady Bae and Lady Ahn continued their conversation, occasionally asking some throwaway question or consideration to either Moonbyul or Wheein, but for the most part just ignoring them. Moonbyul did wonder sometimes how Omegas felt so confident discussing their personal lives very much in the earshot of listening Alphas. But thinking on it, she supposed they must think that it didn't really matter. Because who would believe an Alpha's word over an Omega's anyway?

Mounted on the wall of the main hall, above the double doors, was a large wall clock, with shiny copper hands and numbers affixed to it. And Moonbyul spent the next hour sneaking glances at it as the two noblewomen across from her and Wheein continued talking, working their way through a quite extraordinary amount of frivolous conversation. And the longer it dragged it, the more anxious Moonbyul became. She wanted to be there for Yongsun, to always be available for her to call upon, and she couldn't do that if she was stuck down here in the main hall.

Perhaps Wheein had sensed her anxiety, or perhaps it had just been coincidental timing, but as she glanced up at the clock once again, she felt Wheein move her hand to close gently around her own and she reacted as if having just been burnt. She jumped away from Wheein, pushing away from the bench, much to the surprise of the two ladies across from her.

"Alpha? What has come over you?" Hyejin asked sharply.

Bowing deeply, her pulse racing, Moonbyul gave the first excuse that jumped into her head.

"If you'll forgive me, Lady Ahn. I should be returning to her majesty's room. It's getting late and I shouldn't wish for her to notice my absence."

For once, Lady Ahn didn't question this.

"Of course. Run along Alpha."

Bowing her head and refusing to look at Wheein, even just one last time, she hurried away from the great hall and looked around for the nearest staircase, not as familiar with the route from here up to Yongsun's bedroom as she was from other parts of the palace. But as she got closer to the bedroom, she became increasingly aware of the fact that Yongsun was already there, by the extreme levels of distress pheromones clinging to every surface of the hallway, that sent a painful ache right into the centre of her chest.

Swallowing nervously, she placed her hand on the door and pushed it open, slowly, scared of what she might find. Inside, the room was dark, but not too dark that she couldn't see Yongsun sitting on the end of her bed, her face buried in her hands and shoulders shaking.

"Yongsun?"

Yongsun was undoubtedly crying this time, not even attempting to hide it as she raised her head to look at her. Her eyes were rimmed red, bloodshot, and tears still clung to her face where they hadn't quite dripped down. Her eyebrows arching up into a concerned frown, Moonbyul crossed the space between them and knelt down in front of Yongsun, resting her head on her knee and looking up at her pleadingly.

"I'm sorry Yongsun. I'm sorry I wasn't here when you came back."

Yongsun however virtually ignored this statement, and instead tugged on the back of Moonbyul's shirt, making her stumble and inadvertently nuzzle her head against Yongsun's stomach. The Omega then cradled her head in her arms, wrapping her body around Moonbyul's and clinging to her for comfort as she cried softly into her shoulder.

Moonbyul was stunned for a moment. She had never seen Yongsun this emotionally venerable before and it unnerved her, as the Omegas were supposed to be the strong ones, the ones that led and commanded everyone, the ones that always knew what to do and how to do it, no less the Omega Princess of all people. So seeing Yongsun like this was not only incredibly disconcerting, but Moonbyul knew it was also a side of Yongsun that no other person but her was ever likely to see.

But sensing also that Yongsun had never needed her more than right now, she pressed firmly against the Omega, hoping the mere presence of solid contact would help to soothe her, and clung to the material of Yongsun's dress as she allowed the princess to bury her fingers into her hair, her grip rough and desperate.

It was a few minutes later that Yongsun finally pulled herself together enough to stop crying, and Moonbyul risked pulling away, shifting up slightly in Yongsun's lap to rest her head against her chest and look up at her with wide eyes.

"Please don't cry..."

Yongsun shook her head, turning her face away.

"I'm sorry."

Moonbyul didn't say anything in answer to this, just stayed close to Yongsun and gave her all the time she needed to speak her mind.

"He... he just..."

Moonbyul's eyes widened, her hand closing unthinkingly around Yongsun's.

"He's not getting better Moonbyul. He's just getting worse."

Moonbyul winced sympathetically, any words she might've had getting stuck in her throat. She had no idea how to comfort Yongsun, other than continue to be there for her, a silent and yet hopefully comforting presence. Closing her eyes, Yongsun shook her head slowly, muttering something so quietly to herself that even Moonbyul, who was sitting right next to her, couldn't hear it.

Eventually Yongsun pulled away from her, the action almost reactionary, pushing Moonbyul's hand away from her own. Alarmed, Moonbyul withdrew from her and gave her some space as Yongsun tangled her fingers into her hair and pressed the base of her hands firmly against her aching eyes. 

"God, what do I _do_..."

And it was then that Moonbyul noticed that Yongsun was holding something in her right hand, what looked to be a small rectangle of paper which, when Yongsun dropped her hands from her face, she could see had something printed on it. Glancing up, Yongsun noticed her looking, and shifted the placement of her hand so that the picture was fully displayed and moved it closer for Moonbyul to see.

The photo in Yongsun's hand was crumpled and yellowed with age, with spots of black on the edges where it hadn't quite developed right. But the two people depicted in it were very much still distinguishable. Yongsun's father was standing on the right of the picture, dressed in a fully elaborate royal suit, with a black mantled velvet cape draped over his shoulders, and his simple gold crown tilted slightly on his head. He looked so much younger than he did now, his face brighter and his hair so thick and dark, that Moonbyul almost didn't recognise him.

Sitting on a simple wooden chair in front of the King was another man, an Alpha it could only be presumed, judging by the smart military jacket, trousers and adornments he was wearing. He had a pleasantly tanned face, full of character and broken into a small smile. Yongsun's father was also smiling, and had his hand resting on the shoulder of the Alpha. Moonbyul swallowed softly, glancing up at Yongsun.

"Your fathers?" she asked, quietly.

"On their wedding day," Yongsun replied.

Moonbyul frowned, tilting her head as she looked more closely at the photo.

"I didn't think people were supposed to smile in photos."

Yongsun shrugged.

"Guess they were happy that day."

A silence dragged on between them, Yongsun sniffing every so often and wiping her nose, or sometimes her eyes again, with the back of her hand.

"All this time, I never knew what he looked like," Yongsun mumbled, her voice still thick and wavering. "I imagined him differently. I don't really know in what way. But he just seems... different."

Moonbyul looked at the picture again, and at Yongsun's other father.

"I think he looks nice."

Yongsun didn't say anything directly in response to this, just gave Moonbyul a curious sort of look.

"How was your relationship with your father? As a child I mean."

Moonbyul shrugged a little awkwardly.

"It was okay. Nothing special."

Yongsun nodded, even as she turned away from her,

"I never had that Alpha father, never had sort of Alpha around me before you. I wonder sometimes what it would've been like, what appa would be like. Whether I would've had any siblings. It drives me crazy sometimes, thinking about how things could've been."

Moonbyul too then turned away from Yongsun. Such musings had been a regular plague to her own mind, what with what had happened to Minhyuk, and then what had happened to her, feeling compelled to give herself up to the facility if only to find any form of purpose to her then meaningless life. And she tried to think of the one thing that she had kept telling herself in the facility, if only to stop the never-ending churning of what-ifs and maybes. So after a moment's thought, she proffered her answer.

"I don't think anybody can help thinking about how things might've been, if only things had turned out different. But that doesn't ever change what we have, and who we are. So there's really no worth in thinking about it at all."

After a short pause to take this in, Yongsun glanced at her and managed a small smile, tucking her index finger under Moonbyul's chin and angling her gaze directly onto hers.

"To think, I could've chosen any Alpha in that room. But I chose _you_."

Moonbyul risked a small smile back, and was rewarded with Yongsun pressing a kiss to her forehead, then another to her lips, cupping the side of her neck in her hand to bring her closer, and hold her even when they broke apart.

Oddly enough, even with her father's worsening condition, Yongsun began spending more and more time with Moonbyul after that, insisting that the Alpha follow her round instead of staying in her room the whole time. And as a result, Moonbyul was able to observe her mood and behaviour close up as it steadily deteriorated.

She never smiled anymore, and often cried at night-time, perhaps when she thought Moonbyul wasn't awake to hear it. And as much as she wanted to comfort her whenever she heard those muffled sobs, Moonbyul was afraid of Yongsun's retaliation. For be it as it may that she had an air of invincibility from the attacks of others now, as the princess's Alpha, the one person she wasn't safe from was of course, Yongsun herself.

And although she made sure never to cry during the day, this caused Yongsun to become increasingly irritable and frustrated, snapping at servants for the slightest misstep and often abandoning whatever task she was doing and storming out for a moment of quiet, Moonbyul scuttling after her like a scared puppy. As a result, the whole inside of the palace was filled with a horrible tension, with everybody's scent, not least Yongsun's, taking on a sour, distressed edge.

Although it did take a while for Yongsun to finally lash out.

Really it shouldn't have surprised her. What with Yongsun's ever increasing bad mood, and the fact that she was always so close at hand, it had only been a matter of time before Yongsun acted out against her.

She had been loitering outside a side room just down the hall to the King's quarters, playing nervously with the end of her shirt sleeve as Yongsun's voice grew louder and more impatient, clearly arguing with the doctor inside. The King had his own private doctor, so this wasn't Doctor Midian, which Moonbyul couldn't help thinking was a shame, as Yongsun seemed to rather like Doctor Midian. And this doctor in particular was a Beta, which definitely wasn't helping things, as Betas had the uncanny knack for being annoyingly obtuse and evasive, living as they did outside of the Alpha/Omega binary. 

She had been trying not to eavesdrop, but it was pretty difficult when Yongsun seemed to be talking as loudly as she possibly could without physically shouting. Although even so, she only caught snatches of the argument, the words that were emphasised the most clearly. 'Incompetent' was a common term, as was 'my father', and Moonbyul winced every time she heard a thud, which was presumably Yongsun kicking or throwing something. 

The door flew open rather unexpectedly, causing her to jump as Yongsun pushed past it, clearly incensed. Anxious to stick close to her, Moonbyul hurried after her but came up short when Yongsun stopped suddenly, bringing her hands up to her face and burying it into them.

It was nothing more than an accident really. A combination of not wanting Yongsun to snap at her as well as being more focused on her mind than where her feet were going, brought her knocking into Yongsun's elbow, only to stumble back immediately, mouth open to apologise.

Yongsun's hand flew out faster than she could register it and she smacked her hard on the side of the head, causing Moonbyul to crouch, cowering, her hands over her head in expectation of another blow. And although Yongsun didn't hit again, she didn't apologise either, merely stalked off down the corridor, her anger coming off of her as a sharp, bitter scent. Wrinkling her nose in distaste, Moonbyul watched her disappear and stayed crouched on the floor, not really sure what she was supposed to do now. The part of her head that Yongsun had caught with her hand was still stinging, and Moonbyul ran her fingers over it gingerly, wincing.

For seven long years at the facility, her trainers had told her that whatever Omega she ended up with, they were likely to hit her. That it was just a natural continuation of her training, that beatings were often deemed necessary to keep Alphas subdued and docile. And since being mated to Yongsun, she had been far from the most submissive and obedient that she could've been. So she wondered why she was so surprised that Yongsun had hit her.

Looking back, it had been stupid of her to think that she wouldn't. She'd had this weird perception of Yongsun since first meeting her, that she was different somehow to all the other Omegas. And this perhaps wasn't untrue. She _was_ different certainly. But some things were consistent across all Omegas, and disregard for Alphas was just such a thing.

But that didn't mean that she couldn't try and appease her.

It wasn't hard to figure out where Yongsun had gone. All she had to do was follow the reeking trail of her acrid, smoke like scent all the way down the corridor, which was so intense, the way might as well have been lit by flaming torches, so easy was it to track. Strangely enough, the trail didn't lead up to her room and instead headed downstairs to a room that Moonbyul had spent a lot of time in, as company of Yongsun of course, before they had been summoned to participate in the Spring Festival.

Moonbyul paused by the library door, anxious about going in. She herself was feeling considerably distressed, so she was fairly certain that Yongsun would be able to tell that she was out here. Although her own distress pheromones were so strong, that perhaps she wouldn't be able to pick hers out amongst it all.

For a second she considered retreating back up to Yongsun's room and waiting for her there. After all, it was never a smart plan to confront someone when they were angry and hurting. But the sharp pull in her chest was refusing to let up, and she couldn't help but feel that it was her duty to serve Yongsun, no matter what mood she was in, and that by running away, she was being far from the best Alpha she could be.

Moonbyul pushed open the door.

Although Yongsun's scent grew invariably stronger, it was starting to ebb somewhat, the slight throbbing in Moonbyul's chest beginning to stutter. Making sure to keep low to the ground and practically crawl towards Yongsun, her demeanour so pathetic that had she of had a tail, it would've been tucked all the way between her legs.

She found Yongsun between the last and second last bookcase, her back against the wall and her knees drawn up to her chest. It was obvious that she had known that she was there, by the way that she looked up as Moonbyul cautiously poked her head round the bookcase. Immediately Moonbyul shrank back, all too wary that Yongsun might shout at her, or perhaps even throw a book at her head. But the Omega did neither of these things and after a moment's pause, she beckoned Moonbyul over to her.

Slinking forward and keeping low to the ground, Moonbyul shuffled up to Yongsun and curled up against her side when she held out her arm. She could feel Yongsun's heartbeat even though her ear wasn't directly next to it, purely due to the fact that it was racing unashamedly, although like she said before, it was slowly starting to dissipate. And eventually she heard Yongsun sigh and lean down to press a kiss to the top of her head.

"I'm sorry."

Moonbyul shook her head.

"It's okay."

Yongsun looked unconvinced.

"I didn't need to hit you. You didn't do anything."

Moonbyul shook her head, more insistently this time.

"It's okay. You were upset."

Yongsun didn't say anything more after that, just wrapped her arm tighter around Moonbyul's shoulders and buried her face in her hair, as they sat there in silence, Alpha and Omega both so close and yet still with a distance between them that neither could really explain but both knew was always there.

***

"Well, from the tests I did on your Alpha's sperm sample prior to your marriage, there was nothing abnormal with it at all. In fact, they were somewhat on the higher end. And although it's definitely possible that something may have happened to effect it between now and the time I took the sample, it's highly unlikely."

Yongsun gave a dismissive sort of noise and crossed her arms.

"As for yourself, it's inevitably a lot more difficult to determine problems in fertility with the Omega. But there's nothing about your health records that would suggest you are at any risk at all of having trouble conceiving."

Yongsun tossed her hair, clearly frustrated.

"Then why is there no baby doctor?"

Dr Midian hesitated for a moment, before smiling as sympathetically as he could manage.

"I wouldn't be too concerned your majesty. Although the chance of conception is invariably higher during your heat, it's never a guarantee every time."

Yongsun opened her mouth then let out a disgruntled noise, biting her tongue as if she had just stopped herself from saying something out of turn.

"But I... I _need_ this baby doctor. My father-" She stopped herself, closing her eyes and biting down on her lip before continuing. "I need him to know that our family line is secured."

Dr Midian shook his head wearily.

"I'm sorry your majesty. You'll just have to wait until your next heat cycle."

Yongsun clenched her right hand around the edge of the chair she was sitting on and pinched the bridge of her nose with her left, closing her eyes and taking in deep, steadying breaths. Dr Midian shifted a little uncomfortably, easily able to sense how annoyed Yongsun was.

"What about not on the heat?" Yongsun asked suddenly, pulling her hand away from her face.

Dr Midian hesitated for a moment, taken aback by the question.

"It- it's a very low chance."

"But possible?"

Dr Midian tilted his head as if considering something, before nodding.

"Certainly possible your majesty."

Yongsun sat in contemplation for a while before standing up and brushing down her skirts, reaching out her hand to shake Dr Midian's.

"Thank you doctor."

***

Moonbyul winced as Yongsun pressed down on her mating bite with her teeth, which by now had started to bleed slightly from the pressure. But it was only when she felt the Omega groping her, looking to take hold of her member again, that Moonbyul decided the risk of denying Yongsun what she wanted was necessary. Using as gentle a touch as possible, Moonbyul took hold of Yongsun's wrist and tried to pull her hand away from her.

"Yongsun I-"

Yongsun pressed more insistently against her and kissed her, as if to shut her up.

"Shh, it's okay. I can do it-"

Moonbyul let out a puppyish sort of whine, cutting Yongsun off.

"Yongsun _please_."

And this finally seemed to get through to her, as Yongsun at last gave her second's consideration, pulling away from her and looking at her worriedly. 

"What?"

"It _hurts_..."

Moonbyul watched as realisation slowly began to register in Yongsun's eyes, and she glanced down at her, examining her member with concern. Moonbyul swallowed softly, embarrassed by the assessment but hoping that Yongsun being able to visibly see how much pain she was in, might prompt her to finally leave her be, at least until tomorrow.

"Okay... okay, okay. We'll stop."

Relieved as she was by this, Moonbyul couldn't help but notice that Yongsun was near to tears as she said this, clearly trying her best to hold them back.

"Yongsun..." she mumbled, concerned, and it only took the Omega looking up at her for her to start crying.

Moonbyul's eyes widened as she flexed her fingers uselessly by her sides, not sure what to do. Just like earlier that week, she was at a loss for how to comfort an Omega who was supposed to be the paragon of emotional strength and confidence. So she just sat back, bringing her knees up to her chest to at least partially cover her nakedness, as she watched Yongsun wipe her eyes with the back of her head.

"I'm sorry, it's not fair to overwork you like this. I just..."

She paused for a moment, taking a heavy breath in.

"My father was always incredibly overprotective of me. He used to say that I was his little miracle. And I just wanted him to know that he was going to have at least one grandchild." 

Moonbyul dropped her eyes to the floor and mumbled something Yongsun only just caught.

"If you need to, you can... go find another Alpha."

Yongsun looked up at her sharply, her eyebrows arched down with distinct confusion.

"No- it. You're _my_ Alpha. I chose you, okay? So it's going to be you."

Moonbyul hung her head and nodded.

"I'm sorry Yongsun."

Yongsun frowned and gripped Moonbyul's chin gently between her thumb and forefinger, tilting her gaze upwards again.

"Hey... what for?"

Moonbyul averted her gaze once more, even with Yongsun's grip on her chin.

"I'm sorry I wasn't enough for you."

Shaking her head insistently, Yongsun tugged her forward by the hand to rest her head underneath her chin, cradling it and mumbling reassurances that even Moonbyul wasn't sure were intended for herself or for her.

"You will. You will be. Just... next time."

Moonbyul bit back her next words, feeling that it would be innapproiate for her to spill out all her feelings onto Yongsun. And so she allowed the unspoken words to sit in her throat, one slip away from choking her, as she fought back the urge to just let it all out. To insist to Yongsun that she was trying hard, _so hard_ , to be enough for her, to be what she needed her to be. To be her obedient Alpha, to be the sire to her pups, to not disappoint her, to not let her down. She fought back the urge to tell her that she was trying so hard, she felt that her heart must surely give in, too overwhelmed by effort of just existing as the princess's Alpha.

But that was just it. Alphas weren't supposed to have feelings, at least not ones so complicated as this, that you could think on them for a thousand days and still not find an answer to their origin. Alphas were simple and had basic emotions. Pain, anger, lust, were the top contenders. Alphas were not often deemed to have the emotional capacity for deep, chest wrenching sadness, nor was it ever considered, that Alphas could experience the freedom of the sort of happiness that made you feel as if you were soaring above the clouds and that you were never coming back down.

No. Alphas were violent by nature, dangerous and domineering, and needed to be subdued and commanded, for the good of others and for themselves. A feral Alpha after all, could injure hundreds before being apprehended, the limits to their unshackled anger knowing no bounds.

Closing her eyes, Moonbyul lent into Yongsun's touch and allowed the Omega to stroke gently through her hair, a habit the both of them had become accustomed to. At times like this, she almost couldn't help thinking that she was glad Omegas were in charge, that she could fall into the safeness of Yongsun's arms knowing that she would catch her, at least for the meanwhile.

After a while, Yongsun pulled away from her and got dressed to head down to the bathroom, leaving Moonbyul alone in her bedroom. Being careful not to further irritate her painful member, she pulled her undershorts and trousers back on before spending a good few seconds searching for her tossed shirt, buttoning it up and then sitting down, legs apart rather than crossed, to wait for Yongsun to return.

Yongsun returned in a subdued but much calmer mood, her hair damp and smelling of lavender, and they spent the next few hours in companionable silence on Yongsun's bed, the Omega flicking through a book with one hand and tousling Moonbyul's hair with the other. Every so often she would put her book down to allow Moonbyul to nuzzle closer and to trade a few kisses with her, seemingly wanting to make up for how she had been treating her these past few days.

A knock on the door made Yongsun put her book down permanently, closing it and placing it on her night stand. As she shuffled across the bed to stand up and head over to the door, Moonbyul got out after her, thinking it not appropriate for whoever had knocked to see her alone in the princess's bed.

As it turned out, it was only Jiae, which helped her to relax a little more. For she wouldn't exactly say that she was on good terms with the maidservant, only that they were now at least familiar with each other. Standing in the corner with her head bowed, she tried not to eavesdrop, but Jiae was making no effort to speak quieter and so she still caught every word exchanged between her and Yongsun.

"Forgive me for interrupting your majesty, but Lady Bae is here again to request a meeting with you. But if you are... engaged with your Alpha, I can tell her to come back tomorrow."

Moonbyul watched as Yongsun shook her head.

"No, that won't be necessary. Have some tea brought down to the drawing room and inform Miss Bae I will be down in a moment. She's waited long enough."

Jiae bowed her head.

"Of course your majesty."

Closing the door behind Jiae, Yongsun turned back to Moonbyul and cocked her head, smiling at her.

"Why don't you go down to the baths, hmm? You can stay there as long as you want, alright?"

Feeling a little like a child whose mother had just tried to tactfully shoo out of earshot, Moonbyul nodded and made for the door, smiling back at Yongsun when the Omega squeezed her hand one last time before letting her go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's good to be back :)


End file.
